It is one thing to have a website for your business; it is quite another to use it effectively. And this is only the tip of your social media armory. The effective use of social media is becoming more and more mainstream. As people gravitate towards their phones and tablets, more and more decisions are being made in the moment but also on the go. How does this affect your business and what can you do to maximise the opportunities?
Start with your baseline website.
Connect your website to your Facebook page. If you don’t have a Facebook page for your business, then you need to create one! This is still the vital and central tool in your social media armory. Right now it is the ideal platform for you to connect your website and all it can offer to a place where you can regularly update information.
If you are working in retail, for example, you will be able to let people know about up and coming events. If you specialise in clothing, you could be dispensing fashion advice for the week or season. Sharing and drawing customers into your wider world is a day to day necessity. A restaurant or cafe would be able to talk about specials. They could lure customers in with tempting day to day offers long before the question of ‘where do we go to eat?’ even surfaces. Using social media for restaurants can be particularly effective for connecting with customers. Why not connect with a marketing company who can help you devise a creative strategy?
Build up dialogue and relationships.
Social media is just that. Twitter away to build contacts and add relevant content. Keep your finger on the pulse. This is not about missing out; this is about joining in, being a part of the action and even driving the debate. Post about relevant things that interest you and that link into your business. Keep an ear and eye out for interesting stories that are likely to appeal to your customers.
It can be difficult to keep up if you look at it as an extra chore that you have to undertake. Instead try and build these connections into your day to day routine. Seek out useful tips for making the most of social media success. What for example would be the best time to approach and talk to your customers? Again a cafe or restaurant might have certain hours they need to work around. A bar might well have different priorities. The more you talk and connect the better those relationships will be. You can start to make solid connections with regulars. At the same time, you’ll be driving new business your way.
Think Visually
Use the recent visual opportunities as gold. Youtube, Instagram and any picture sharing opportunities should be grabbed with both hands. Be taking pictures of new stock arriving. Focus on specials and displays. Ask advice, seek approval. Post up ‘soup of the day’ and you’ll be having queues around the block by lunchtime! Got an afternoon special going on or a late night opening? Get those visuals out there and keep them coming. If you can stretch to video then so much the better, it is a colourful world out there and getting bolder.
Use social media wisely and it can turn around your attitude to business. If you can satisfy a need then, you should let people know about it and where to find it. Social media the perfect tool.
