Your customers are looking for you on social media

Social media has often been described as a party online, and the last thing a business should do is stand up it’s customer at the party.  So think about your company for a moment:  Does it have a presence online beyond a static webpage?  Does it have a strategy to directly engage your customer through social media?

It is easy for a small company to be overwhelmed by social media.  Common points of paralysis are where to start, or how can I engage my customers without spending all my time online?

The answer is to start simple.  The first step is to make a serious commitment to getting to know your customer base.  Then begin developing a marketing strategy that starts with your site and logically expands into two or three major venues in social media.

The key to this approach is making your blog or website the center of your online presence.  By doing this, you funnel all of the traffic to a platform where your business has 100% control over its content and advertising.  As the traffic to your site increases, so, too, do the opportunities to sell product and services – be they yours or someone else’s.

With a focus on the center of your online presence, it is now easier to develop a marketing strategy for each of the major social media venues.  The top sites that I currently prefer to target are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  I state “currently prefer” because the landscape of social media is constantly evolving, and it is important to evolve with your customers as the landscape changes.

A solid strategy for social media includes a regular schedule for engaging your target audience and weekly goals to measure success.  Goals should include objectives like personally connecting with 5 current customers and reaching out to 10 potential customers.  A great way to check the pulse of your customer base is to poll them to learn their opinions.  If you really want to step up response rates, try running a contest and offer some prizes or a discount the next time they purchase something from you.  If you start here, your customers will hear your message and begin to respond – just be sure to listen to what they have to say!

I would love to hear your thoughts on social media, so please leave a comment and share your thoughts.