Social + Media = Social Media
The basics of social media for businesses is quite simple. Be social. Share media. There are strategies on how to do both for different types of businesses but at its core, social media marketing is about creating conversations and engagement about your brand and with your customer base.
Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. can help drive loads of traffic and create buzz when used effectively. Our mission for our clients is to create a persona for your brand, and leverage it to build community. That involves creating media opportunities that you can share and getting it in front of people. Studies have indicated that as much as 60-75% of website usage is geared toward social interaction, and getting visibility there is a big part of online success.
Using Promoted Stories
Promoted stories are a great way to influence people to like your Facebook page. When stories are well thought out and are compelling enough for people to consume, then you can end up with big exposure and great engagement. Here is an example of using promoted stories to get visibility and entice new likes
This story was a 3 minute video showing off a full days work installing a Tornado Bunker in-ground storage shelter. The post gained over 400 organic views and over 3800 paid views helping increase likes to over 400.
Building An Audience
Building your audience is the first step we take in social media marketing. Social media sites allow followers and friends, and in most cases, this is the collection of people that will routinely see your posts. For the DIY business owner, the best way to start is to leverage your existing relationships. Create a profile and share it with friends, family and customers. That will help establish your initial base of people. After you’ve shared your social profiles with those close to you, its time to broaden the net. Create a compelling story and promote it. Ask for fans. Use some images or video and tell your story and share it. Spend some promotional dollars and buy additional exposure, but set your demographics to hit areas that will care about your product or services. If people like your story and can connect with you, they will. Building an audience is about building relationships and sharing things people will care about.
Building Community
Social media influence is about community. Your goal is to turn customers into fans, so give them a reason to cheer for you. Find a way to connect your product emotionally. Get involved in your local community. Be charitable. Thank your customers publicly. Offer discounts. Share your story, and ask others to share it as well. As you go about your daily operations, think of ways to share that with your “friends” – take photos and videos, write things down, and tell the story to your friends on social media like you would across the dinner table. That’s how we help build community and influence. Social influence will begin to become a part of your culture, and that will help turn your customers into fans and a great source of referrals.
Social Media Marketing In Action
Using a mix of blog post, shared links, and personal updates to create engagement.
Using shared links (blog posts) and news to promote the brand.
Using Live Video, news bulletins, and shared links to videos to get engagement.
Leveraging Facebook Live to stream a live broadcast of church services (reaching hundreds more people per week).
Put your crafted stories in front of a larger audience (50,000+)
Use promotional videos to attract thousands of views.