Social media
The social media minefield
Many people now use social media, not just to keep up with their friends and family, but for business too. Some people only use it for business, preferring not to chit-chat about more personal things.
But the whole point of social media is that it’s social. It’s no good just blasting out information about your business in the hope that someone might take an interest. Your messages need to be interesting to those looking at them, and in the appropriate tone.
Get your priorities right
It’s all too easy to think ‘Right, we need to do some marketing’ and dive right into advertising in the local paper, or producing some leaflets, or setting up a facebook page.
But how will you know if it’s the right thing to do? You could just be wasting your time and money.
Building up a following on social media
If you’re a facebook or twitter user, you will know all about the importance of building up followers or collecting fans. But is it really about numbers? I recently had a conversation with Melanie from Scarletta Media – I was struck by how many people she had following her on facebook and twitter and asked her for the secret to her success.
We talked about the importance of having quality relationships, rather than quantity. And I’m pleased to say that my facebook page and twitter feed are busy with lots of quality people who join in conversations, share knowledge and ask questions, so thank you if you’re one of them! I know that I’d rather have fewer good contacts than lots of poor ones (porn stars and get-rich-quick schemes take note)
20 ideas for status updates on your Facebook business page
Your Facebook page is a community of people who have chosen to receive your updates – imagine you’re hosting a party and you want to make sure everyone feels included and there is something to interest and entertain them. You will need a variety of styles and different types of “conversation” to keep everybody interested. You will also need to respond and add comments to other people’s comments in the interest of keeping the conversation going.
The more you can get people talking, the more popular your page will become as others will see the interactions going on and want to join in. Here are some ideas (based on a garden centre) to get you started:
Ten tips for social media – get the basics right
Whether you have a Linked In profile, a facebook fan page or are a regular tweeter these tips apply. In my view they are basic requirements as a starting point for success in social media. Get these things right, and you’re off to a good start!
Making the most of facebook business pages
A facebook business page can be a very useful marketing tool. Here are some top tips for setting one up and using it.
Last year, facebook changed the terminology around business pages – insteading of becoming a “fan”, people can now “like” your page instead. This is a step in the right direction, and makes people less reticent to join your page. After all, you are a fan of a football team or a movie star, not a business! Here are some ideas to help you maximise your business page.
How can small businesses use LinkedIn as part of their marketing activity?
Whether or not a small business should use LinkedIn for marketing depends on what their objective is. It also depends on what type of business they run.
One of the benefits of LinkedIn is that it can showcase an individual’s career background and experience. Generally speaking, if you want to get on in the world, it’s worth having an easy to view summary of your skills, your career history and a couple of good testimonials … and LinkedIn does that job very nicely.
Mind your online manners
Social networking is a bit like visiting a foreign country – each site seems to have its own language and culture. Here are some general guidelines to make sure you don’t get off on the wrong foot.
1. Introduce yourself properly. Rather than just sending the standard request to ask someone to be your friend or to join your network, add a personal note. If you know them this will be easy. If not, explain why you would like to connect with them or who you know that is a mutual connection.
