Level Up Your Marketing Strategy With a Social Media Audit

21May

What is a social media audit?

Don’t let the word “audit” intimidate you. A social media audit is simply an analysis of your social media profiles undertaken to determine what parts of your social media marketing strategy are and are not working. You look at all of your social media accounts and profiles to figure out what strategies you should keep, what you should stop, and what you can improve. It’s not so much an audit as it is a check-in, really.

Why do I need one?

Here’s a better question: Does your company want to waste time, energy, and money on an ineffective marketing strategy? The answer is probably no. You need to periodically check your brand’s social media profiles to make sure each is still doing what you want it to do. This will also be a good time to find and delete any profiles you no longer use. Here a just a few of the many reasons you should audit your social media presence.

1. It’s an opportunity to clean up your online presence.

Think of your audit like cleaning out your garage: when you’re trying to reorganize and optimize the space you have, you find a lot of things you’d forgotten existed. Are you using all of your social media accounts? You might be surprised to discover that you have profiles on social media platforms you have not visited in years. Are you still paying for advertising on any platforms? You can delete profiles that are no longer beneficial to your social media marketing strategy.

2. You can check out your profiles.

A social media audit will allow you to look at the whole of your social media presence. You can see which profiles are up to date and which ones need to more current information. Use the audit to check out all of your social media profiles at once, so that you can edit and augment each as needed. Compare this to the piecemeal approach, where you vow to update your profiles when you remember, only to postpone the updates for when you actually have the time. With a scheduled social media audit, you can make the time.

3. You can revise your strategy.

This is where the more technical aspects of auditing come into play. After you’ve weeded out the unnecessary profiles, you can make adjustments to the necessary profiles. Use each platform’s built in analytics tool to determine what content gets the most traction. You can also see data like busy times for your sites, customer demographics, and more. You can get as broad or as specific as you like.

4. This is a chance to gauge your competition.

You should take a look at your competitors’ social media pages as you audit your own. What are they doing that you are not? Does one competitor have more customer engagement than your brand? What type of posts are most popular for them? Are they following any industry-wide trends that you’ve ignored? Ignoring trends you’ve followed? Comparing your strategy to your competitions’ is yet another good way to learn what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong.

5. It’s a way for you to learn more about your customers.

As you gain insights into your competition (and thus your industry overall), you can also peek into the minds of your audience. Do they respond to one form of content more consistently than another? You could be wasting your time posting videos when your customers flock to blogs or vice versa. This is yet another benefit of looking at the big picture: you can see your marketing from a holistic point of view.

If you have even one social media profile (of course you do–you have no excuse not to be on social media), then you stand to benefit from a social media audit. Now that you understand why audits are so important, you should be eager to get started. We’ll discuss how to perform a social media audit for your company or brand in our next blog post.

Would you like to learn more about optimizing your social media marketing? We can help!

Click Here to Subscribe

Develop a Social Media Strategy in 7 Simple Steps

By Christopher Tompkins

16May

Social Media

You’ve finally convinced your company (or yourself) to establish a social media presence, so now what do you do? Here are a few steps you should take to develop a successful social media marketing strategy.

1. Research your audience.

When you first devised your marketing strategy, you probably created your ideal customer. By creating this image of your average consumer, you were then able to generalize the concept into your target audience. You’ll be doing the same here. Social media is all about connection. With whom are you trying to connect? Who is your target audience: working parents, college students, active retirees? Once you determine who you’re trying to reach, you will be be able to choose your platforms.

2. Research potential platforms.

Determine which platform(s) best suit your needs. Some social media platforms are geared for socializing (Facebook, LinkedIn), some for information (Twitter, Pinterest), and still others are designed for sharing your personal interests with the world (Tumblr, Instagram). Whatever your industry, there is a social media platform that will work for you. There are several questions you must answer to ensure that you choose the best platform. Which social media platform is your audience most likely to use? Why do most people use that specific social media site? What is the platform’s overall tone?

3. Research your competition.

Investigate your competitors’ social media accounts. What are they doing that seems to work? Are certain posts garnering more engagement than others? Look at what their customers are sharing. Your goal in this endeavor is to learn, not duplicate. Let’s say that your business rival has an irreverent Twitter profile with thousands of followers. You should not attempt to cash in on their success by using a quirky voice for your own Twitter: it would look cliche at best, plagiaristic at worst. Consider instead appealing to the consumers who might be alienated by the humorous tweets by focusing on other aspects of your brand.

4. Establish your goal for each platform.

Each platform is different, so it stands to reason that your goals for each platform should be different as well. Some companies use Twitter as a way to attract new customers, and reserve their Facebook accounts for connecting with their existing clientele. Professional networking platform LinkedIn is great for companies with business to business sales, but maybe not as advantageous for a company that markets to retirees.

5. Determine your metrics.

You won’t know if you’ve succeeded unless you have a way to measure your progress. For social media, most marketing professionals use customer engagement as a starting point. How many likes are your posts getting? Are your customers sharing your stories or quotes? Whatever metrics you decide to use, you should choose them before you begin to produce content.

6. Develop your content.

As mentioned above, you should focus on content development and production after you have established your metrics for success. This will prevent you and your staff from wasting time and energy working on the wrong types of content. What is your brand’s voice or tone: casual and fun, or earnest and professional? Deciding how you will say something will help you decide what you’ll be saying.

You should also formulate your company’s social media usage guidelines during this phase. These rules should function both as a style guide and code of conduct. Most companies simply abide by their in-house writing guidelines on their social media accounts. The other aspect addresses your company’s behavior on social media. Some good basic rules include steering clear of divisive issues and following basic netiquette.

7. Engage with your audience.

The purpose of social media is to connect. When a customer reaches out to you, respond in a timely manner! Social media gives companies ample opportunities for stellar customer service. Don’t limit this engagement to problem solving, though: encourage audience engagement with contests, polls, and other fun methods.

As you can see, establishing your social media presence does not have to be a complicated process. The great thing about marketing is that you can shift your strategy as needed. The only irreparable mistake in social media marketing is avoiding social media altogether.

Do you still need help creating or refining your social media marketing strategy, why not seek out the experts? The Go! Agency team will devise or revise the perfect social media strategy for your brand! Click here to learn more today!

Click Here to Subscribe

5 Reasons Companies Still Don’t Use Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

14May

Social Media

To be perfectly blunt, there is no excuse for a company to have zero social media presence in 2018. According to the Pew Research Center, 69 percent of adults in the United States use at least one form of social media; 88 percent of adults age eighteen to twenty-four are active on one or more social media platforms. Most people have multiple accounts on different platforms.

Here are five common excuses for not using social media to promote your brand.

1. “Our target audience doesn’t use social media.”

Yes, they probably do. At least some of them do, anyway: the majority of American adults participate in one or more social media platforms. Social media has almost become our de facto national pastime. As with most new technology, the younger generations have been the most fervent adopters: almost 90 percent of young adults are active on at least one platform. These kids, teens, and (young) adults grew up with social media. However, their parents and grandparents are quickly adapting to the digital landscape and participating in social media. Pew states that 64 percent of people age 50 to 64 and 37 percent of people age 65 and older use at least one social media platform.

2. “A social media profile will only attract negative attention.”

No, it will not. While it is true that some negativity is inevitable with any form of marketing, establishing a presence on social media offers more rewards than risks. The consumers of today actually want to connect with their favorite brands. Customers routinely seek out companies that make the products or services they love. You can minimize your risk of attracting negative attention in a few simple ways. First, devise a set of social media guidelines for your company. Second, enforce those guidelines with an iron fist (the modern equivalent would probably be a sternly worded email from HR). Additionally, consult with an expert. A good social media manager will be adept at public relations in addition to being a wunderkind with marketing and data analysis.

3. “It doesn’t get results.”

Yes, it does. Granted, those results can be difficult to quantify, but they can still impact the brand. A presence on social media is at the very least an additional chance for your brand to be seen. Social media accounts offer your customers another avenue to contact your company with questions, concerns, or comments. This will go a long way toward engendering good will and repeat clients. Social media also keeps your customers better informed about your latest products or services–remember, customers need to know what you have to offer. Your social media presence can enhance your brand. A cosmetics company, for example, could post makeup tutorials on its Facebook page, while a sportswear manufacturer might include photos from its staff’s annual camping trip to its Instagram account. Social media strengthens your brand’s image in the minds of your customers.

4. “It’s too much work.”

That depends. As with any marketing strategy, you get what you give when it comes to social media. You’ve worked for years to bring your company this far, why refuse to take this step? If you genuinely do not have the time to run your company’s social media activities on your own, have an employee to do it for you. We don’t mean that you should reassign an HR director to focus solely on your Facebook account: as with any other extra responsibility, you should find a person who possesses both the will and the skill to do the job.

5. “I don’t understand how to use social media for marketing.”

This is perhaps the most common–and seldom revealed–reason that companies choose to avoid social media. Thankfully, it is also the easiest to address. If you are unsure how to navigate social media marketing, simply hire a consultant. There are many firms that focus exclusively on social media marketing. These experts want to help you develop your strategy and analyze your results. For many small businesses, seeking out the services of a social media pro is best and most cost-effective choice.

Do any of those excuses sound familiar? If so, stop waiting and start planning! Now is the perfect time to begin. That’s the great thing about marketing: every day is another chance to turn it all around. Don’t let your preconceived notions and unfounded fears about social media hold you back any longer!

If you need help developing or revamping your social media marketing strategy, just ask!

Click Here to Subscribe

5 Creative Ways To Share Data On Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

9May

Social Media

When my team and I work on our clients’ social media marketing campaigns, we know that balance is a big factor in our success. Whether you’re talking about balancing text and images, promo and news, or curated and original content, everything has to be just right. It’s all part of the job. But one aspect that many companies fail to execute correctly is educational VS entertaining posts. Things end up leaning much heavier towards the “fun” side of content because of two reasons. 1- They think it will gather more engagement. 2 – Well, they don’t know how to do it right. But, we do!

So, here’s a secret from the pros. Educational and fact-based content have proven to be some of the most engaging material on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In 2016, the most popular posts were in fact-based industries. Here are the most popular strategies for spreading the wealth of knowledge with your followers:

1. Infographics. There’s nothing quite like a ton of pictures to make a complicated concept more understandable. The truth is, visuals always help us learn. That’s why infographics are so effective. You can transform large concepts into digestible chunks that are accompanied by interesting graphics.

2. Videos. Video is dominating social media right now. Sure, when we think of internet videos, we think of funny cats running around or how-to recipe guides. But you could actually utilize the video medium to explain a complicated educational subject. Captions are your friend in this instance, as you can add to the visuals. Now with live videos, you can offer your followers tutorials and lessons “in the moment” and answer their questions immediately.

3. Blog. Blogging continues to reign supreme as one of the most effective ways to inform your followers about important concepts and topics. Blogging is a fantastic companion to your social media marketing efforts as it will establish your brand in a professional light and give you a whole slew of original content.

4. Trivia and Did You Know? Keeping information simple and sharing it in the form of a trivia tidbit or a #DidYouKnow post will keep your audience’s attention with a short, simple post. They won’t have to spend much time with this content, but they will still learn something big.

5. Content curation. As always, it’s important to share other’s work from your online community. But it doesn’t have to begin and end with what they’ve said. You can comment in the form of Quote Tweeting or simply share your thoughts as a Facebook comment.

As you can see, it’s time to face facts – you need to create and share educational content! Social media isn’t just about fun material or even promotional marketing. Serious content like blogs, videos, and infographics will attract a significant amount of engagement and in the long run, conversions.

Click Here to Subscribe

The 4 Ingredients To Cutting-Edge Social Media Content

By Christopher Tompkins

7May

Social Media

Creating new content for social media marketing can be a challenge if you’re not a professional. Once you’ve ticked off the obvious topics in your industry, you may find it a bit of a struggle to come up with new ideas.

It doesn’t seem to get any easier either. The more you write, the less there is to write about.

The upside is that this creative chasm can challenge you to come up with more engaging content that isn’t on every other website in your industry. The downside is that coming up with ideas takes a little more work.

Below are a few exercises and routines we follow to keep ourselves inspired. To lessen the work of idea creation.

1. Start with an image

Whenever we make a piece of content, we also make an image afterward. Whether it’s a blog post or a social media update, once the copy is done, we move on to the picture.

But who says the copy has to come first?

Sitting down to create an image without any copy to restrict you is a great way to find some inspiration. Once the image is done, you can allow that to inspire your copy.

Ask yourself, “What type of article would this image be good for?”

2. Read

A good writer is also a good reader.

We write about marketing, so we also read a lot about marketing. News articles, emails, blogs, social media posts, and books. Reading the views of others in our industry keeps us in the conversation and aware of current trends.

But we also dip outside of marketing too. Marketing, like many other industries, is something that can be relevant to many other areas.

Whenever we find out about a new idea or a new trend, we wonder, “Can this be applied to marketing?” This can often lead to inspiration for content.

Could the last book you read apply to your industry in some way? Does a trend in the news also point to something in your own industry?

If the answer is yes, you’ve got something to write about.

3. Take your time and forget about inspiration

Inspiration is the strangest thing. The more you try to grasp it, the further it seems to be.

One exercise we often do on team building days is we ask our Go! Agents to come up with an interesting fact about themselves.

Most of the time no one is able to think of anything. They’re stumped! All of our staff are creative and interesting people, so why is it so hard for them to come up with something?

The issue is, no one likes to be put on the spot. When you try to force yourself to come up with an idea, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Our best ideas happen when we’re not trying to come up with them at all. When we’re driving home, taking a shower or just before we go to bed.

It’s good practice to carry a notepad with you so you can collect ideas when inspiration strikes. Even when your deadline is weeks away.

As counter-productive as it seems, not thinking about coming up with an idea makes ideas appear on their own.

4. Revisit old content

After my last tip, I’ve either got you nodding your head, or I’ve completely lost you. You might be frantically screaming at your monitor, “BUT I NEED AN IDEA RIGHT NOW!”

When this happens to us, we always find it’s good to revisit our old content. Creating content that is a direct response or follow-up to old content can be a winner.

One thing we like to do is find our most popular older content and write another post that expands on it. If lots of people loved your post about skincare tips, chances are they’re hungry for more!

The best thing about this is you’re giving your audience more of what they want. So your content is defined by others instead of yourself.

Completely stumped on how to turn your content around? Contact us today to learn how we can help your company put out consistently great content!

Click Here to Subscribe

5 Engagement Tips For Small Businesses

By Christopher Tompkins

2May

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter

Running a small business can be a daunting task. When you add marketing to your other duties, it almost seems impossible, right? Whether you’re trying to create a business empire from scratch or just trying to maintain the day-to-day, being in charge of a company is not easy!

There’s a good chance that if you’re running your own business, you’re probably trying to maintain your social media accounts on top of everything else. If this is the case, you might not have the time, energy, or resources to promote yourself in the right way. Who has time to bother with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? As tough as it can be to fit social media into a packed schedule, it’s essential for any business to grow. Social media marketing has the strength to bring even a small local shop increased online visibility. How do you start? Check out these steps:

1. Invest in update management software. A busy business owner can’t be bothered with spending several hours crafting content, posting, sharing, and liking. You will need help! A variety of programs are available to help you master social media marketing. Whether it’s Hootsuite, Buffer, or Onlypult, the right software can make social media management easier.

2. Engaging content. You need social media marketing, but you need GOOD social media marketing. The right content will attract customers to your page, but the wrong content will repel them.

Find out how you can get your customers to create engaging content for you here.

3. Moderate promotions. Small businesses can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms for many different reasons, but you want to make sure to promote specials, happy hours, sales, events, etc. That being said, don’t forget to add other content into the mix. Don’t make your social media marketing presence solely about sales!

4. Promote in real life. Make sure people know about your online presence when they visit your store. Whether you run a restaurant, retail shop, or another small business, have “Follow Us!” signs up and offer exclusives that can’t be found anywhere other than Facebook, Twitter, etc.

5. Advertising. The biggest disadvantage a small business has is, well, it’s small. Because of this, it might be a little harder to get the word out about your brand than say, Coca-Cola or Chevrolet. That’s why it’s important that your message stands above the rest by investing some money into Facebook and Twitter advertising. Advertising has become an absolute must for companies trying to increase brand awareness and online visibility. The results are quickly visible, but a thought-out strategy is necessary.

Today’s small businesses have a special edge with social media marketing. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help strengthen your online presence, professional status, and customer relations.

Are you stumped by social media marketing? Let us take care of it for you! Click here to get started!

Click Here to Subscribe

5 Ways To Find The Perfect Customer Online

By Christopher Tompkins

30Apr

Social Media

Are you trying to promote your business through Facebook advertising? Do you want to increase brand awareness on a local or global scale? Do you want a VERY specific group of people to see your ad? Maybe you want anyone and everyone to see you? It’s all possible, but you need a pro’s help.

When we work on Facebook advertising for our clients, we are fully aware that we’re in for a task. Each business is an entirely separate entity and as such, requires a unique approach. Why? Because Facebook gives us so many options and avenues to visibility that we have to carefully craft a strategy for every advertisement.

What are the best ways to fully utilize Facebook strategies? How should YOUR business use them? Below are five of the most effective options that you can take advantage of when trying to market your brand.

1. Location. When we’re looking at these options, we have to ask ourselves “Who do we want to click this ad?” Obviously, the answer should correspond with who your target customer is. Does your brand appeal to customers in your hometown or all across the U.S.?

For example, the law office of Payne & Price wants to reach out to more potential clients. However, they only handle cases in Atlanta. Obviously, there wouldn’t be any point for them to pay for a national reach. People in non-relevant areas would see the ad and move on, and they would do so fast. Narrowing your geographical reach is important, especially if you are trying to appeal to a particular area.

2. Age and Gender. We have bunched these two together because many times they go hand-in-hand. Age and gender are important options that need to be specified in any campaign. Whether you know it or not, your product’s appeal has an age range. Often, it will also appeal to male or female audiences as well.

Safe Haven Nursing, an in-home caregiving facility typically for seniors, is trying to raise their brand awareness on Facebook. Their target audience is not the elders themselves, but rather their adult children. They should target the ages of 40-55 in their specified area. Since studies show that the children who make decisions about their aging parents’ healthcare are often daughters, they may also want to choose a female audience.

On the contrary, My Cali, an eager startup clothing line that is aimed at Millennials, will want to target those between 18-35 to match their desired clientele. They can also make separate ads that feature male and female apparel.

3. Life Events. Are you a wedding planner? Baby clothes retailer? Marketer for a college? This one is for you. People celebrate milestones in their life on Facebook quite often and as a result, you can offer them targets to compliment this time.

The marketing team at Hampton Ridge, a beautiful event venue in the Pocono Mountains, is trying to reach out to engaged couples looking for places to spend their special day. With Facebook marketing, they can target couples in the area who have been engaged for 3 months and 6 months. They won’t bother with those who have been engaged for over 12 months because those couples are typically ready to walk down the aisle. With Facebook advertising, you can be that specific.

4. Income. To be frank, what is the sense of marketing to a crowd that can’t afford your product? Or, you may want to reach out to a more or less wealthy clientele. Either way, you have the ability to target those in a specific financial bracket or those with a particular household income.

The folks at Everclean Housekeeping were tired of being rejected after giving quotes for their services. Instead of lowering their rates, they decided to use Facebook marketing to target those with incomes $100K or above. They quickly saw a different demographic start calling in, and business improved.

5. Interests and Values. When I say interests, I don’t necessarily mean you should target people who like to play basketball or go hiking (although you could do that). Facebook has the ability to look at the Pages people have liked as well as tap into their profile information so users see promotional content they are actually interested in.

This goes beyond hobbies or passions. Perhaps your product appeals to a more conservative or liberal audience? Maybe you want to reach out to the Christian, Jewish, or Muslim communities in your area? Or maybe you just want to promote your products to those who support your local football team. Whether it’s a personal interest or something that your target market values, it’s possible to connect with people with that shared commonality.

As you can imagine, of all of these strategies this one takes some finesse. I would suggest you take a step back and look at your “typical” customer. What do you imagine them doing or participating in when they aren’t in your business?

Banyan Tree Tutoring was trying to reach out to parents in the Chattanooga, TN area. When they began their advertising journey, they chose to add several elements from above. First, they wanted to reach those who were interested in the local schools, Facebook pages about parenting and home-owning, and local sports teams. Then, because they are considered a premium service, they chose a specific income. Next, they chose the age range of the typical parents with school children, 28-50. Finally, they decided to stick within 20 miles of the Chattanooga city limits. Through these efforts, Banyan Tree Tutoring and thousands of other businesses are drumming up more business in ways they didn’t expect.

Are you excited yet? You should be! But you need to face facts, Facebook advertising is intense. It takes time, effort, and strategy. However, once you have it down, you will have an advantage over the competition and reach an audience you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Ready to start Facebook advertising for your business? Contact us today!

Click Here to Subscribe

5 Big Brand Marketing Strategies That Broke the Internet

By Christopher Tompkins

23Apr

Business, Content Creation, Live Video, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter

Social media itself is an innovative and cutting-edge approach to customer service. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other amazing social media platforms, you can build relationships and connect with customers like never before. But if you add an expert team behind your strategy, it’s a business owner’s dream.

The best part? You will be able to see very quickly if your strategy works or not. Some top brands, such as the ones we will discuss below, raised the bar in terms of social media customer engagement.

As social media marketers ourselves, our team at The Go! Agency loves these brands’ approach to social media:

1. Wendy’s. The fast food chain has become notorious for sending out hilarious Tweets, often times addressing their biggest competitor, McDonald’s. But what’s really impressive about Wendy’s online marketing is how their audience engages, and the brand follows up with their comments. Below is a great tweet that shows how Wendy’s made a customer’s day while maintaining tone and message. It may downplay one of their own rules, but as you can see my the number of retweets, comments, and likes, it was well worth it.

2. Netflix. Netflix will often create trending campaigns that are funny and relatable. These usually tend to align with trending titles that are on their streaming service like Stranger Things or a Disney title, but they have also been known to tap into subject matter that their audience really relates to. And they do it well. A great example is their Netflix cheating campaign, where they “raised awareness” of the epidemic of partners watching episodes of TV shows without their partner– a heinous offense. Not only did it hit home for a lot of their audience, it was just tongue-in-cheek enough for it to go viral for quite some time.

3. DoSomething.org. Clocking in with an astounding 811,000 Twitter followers, DoSomething.org has achieved something that not many businesses have been able to– create real conversations with the members of their audience. DoSomething.org helps activists stand up for causes they believe in. You can see in the snapshot below that they not only respond to the members of their growing community, they continue the conversation and encourage responses.

4. Apple. Apple is a little odd when it comes to social media. If you’ve ever visited their Twitter account they have never Tweeted– EVER. They will change their cover photo to the latest product imagery, but they never say a word . It’s a very odd strategy. But where they DO shine is on @AppleSupport, where they have a dedicated channel just for customer support. They respond ultra-fast and offer tips and tricks for all their devices.

5. Funko. Funko is the maker of vinyl collectibles and pop culture memorabilia.

If they didn’t utilize social media, however, they wouldn’t be able to reach the online success they have. There are two facets to their social media success– contests and Q&As.

Multiple times a day, @OriginalFunko will post contests on their Facebook and Twitter. The prize is usually one or two of their collectible Pop! figures. The only thing people have to do to enter is follow the page and RT or comment. Then, they ask the contest winners to post a pic of their prize when they receive it in the mail, and the conversation continues.

Speaking of conversations, Funko shares weekly #AskFunko sessions, in which their huge fan base can tweet questions to them. Despite getting hit with thousands of questions, the Seattle-based team does their best to answer as many as possible for at least 30 minutes straight.

These five brands are proud of their marketing strategies, and rightfully so. Each one has created communities that reach the thousands and their brand awareness is through the roof. Do yourself a favor and check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts and get ready to be inspired!

Did you know that our team at The Go! Agency, has years of experience in creating effective social media marketing strategies for our clients?

Click here to learn more: http://ow.ly/z6PP30jBd5f

Click Here to Subscribe

The 5 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Boost Transparency

By Christopher Tompkins

27Dec

Content Creation, Copywriting, Social Media

How has social media marketing changed business? In more ways than you can count. The most significant though, for better or for worse, is that it increased transparency enormously.

If you run a restaurant that offers bland plates and rude service, social media may be a nuisance for you. If you manage an A/C Heating service and you overcharge your customers, it will most certainly pop up around the web. However, if you run an honest business and do your best to produce quality service and products, the internet is an amazing place that you can really shine and reach new people….. if you let it.

The truth is, as long as your business is run right, you should want your brand to be as transparent as possible — and social media marketing has the ability to do this if you keep in mind the following 5 elements. Not only will they allow your business to have a better transparency, but your customer relationships will become so much better.

1. Communication. You don’t want to be a “mute brand.” Yes, you’re sending out content multiple times a day, but if a customer responds to you, it’s vital that you respond quickly. Remember the 3 “P’s” when you are talking with your customers – positive, prompt, and productive.

2. Influence. Take time to find online influencers in your market with quality audiences who would be interested in your products or services. Connect and build relationships with those individuals. By doing so, you are branding yourself as an authority in your respective market.

3. Quality connections. Quality or quantity? It’s better to have quality, focused content versus thousands of online connections, reading your content just once, then disappearing. On the other side of this, you need to be a quality connection yourself by sending out worthwhile content.

4. Consistency. Don’t create a few batches of amazing content and then disappear. This means constantly publishing content and participating in online conversations. Your followers need reasons to stay by your side. Give them what they want.

5. Branding. Show off your marketing skills with consistent branding, color, tone, messages, and mission. This is absolutely necessary as you expand your voice across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and much more.

Are you less than confident in your approach to social media marketing? You don’t have to be, contact us today! We’re here to help you make your mark and hit your targets.

6 Social Media Content Ideas That Gets An Audience Talking

By Christopher Tompkins

7Dec

Content Creation, Copywriting, Social Media

“We value your opinion!” We’ve all heard that one before. Sometimes, we just don’t have time to bother with providing feedback to companies. Thankfully, social media allows some convenient and even fun ways for consumers to give their opinion. Check out these ways you can gather tons of info to analyze.

1. Polls. There’s no easier way to get the feedback your team is looking for than to ask for it! Whether the options in the poll are “Yes,” “No,” “Maybe,” or options “A,” “B,” or “C,” many marketers feel this is one of the most efficient routes.

2. Contests. Of course, incentives go a long way. You can ask for some feedback, and in turn, they are entering for a chance to win a prize. The prize doesn’t even need to be extravagant, but perhaps one of your products or gift cards to a service your company provides.

3. Inquiries. Once your following starts to grow, you can publish posts that will drum up conversations. After all, we are trying to create engagement, and someone needs to break the ice first!

4. Announcements. As always, there is the ever-popular comment section. When you make an announcement, whether it’s a new product or change in policy, check out people’s reactions through comments, likes, rants, cheers, emojis, etc.

5. Live Video Q & A’s. Lately, businesses have been getting a lot of feedback by hosting Q&A sections via live video services such as Facebook Live, Periscope, and YouTube Live. As your broadcast goes on, you can read what everyone is saying in the comment section.

6. Custom Hashtags. Hashtags are still an excellent way to hone in on specific information. People will use hashtags for everything they’re talking about even if it’s in a negative light. If you want people to talk about your product, provide a hashtag that corresponds with your brand.

People love to talk on social media. Whether it’s about a positive or negative experience, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms have become a sounding board for opinions, thoughts, and feedback. Use this to your business’s advantage!

Tag : online marketing