Hey, Look at Me!
Social Media Marketing can make you the Center of Attention
Businesses are cashing in on social media marketing big time. Whether you’re miniscule or multinational, you want inventive ways to use Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and those other clickable, shareable social outlets to your advantage. What follows are a few ways to boost your fan base and build relationships that mean business.
Keep joining and sharing simple
People are lazy. How do I know? …Because we use remote controls to power everything from TVs to toilet seats. And…we want to join things without the inconvenience of having to click more than once. When you don’t ask people to fill out forms and provide other information, they are much more likely to add you to their social circles. So, give them a nice button that they can’t miss and watch your following grow. You also want to keep sharing simple, so remember to put those handy share buttons in more places than just the bottom of the page.
Stop thinking about yourself
It’s great to have a social media image that you like, but unless you’re your own best customer, it’s not going to help you make a whole lot of money. Social Media Marketing should be social, meaning it should provide an opportunity for some meaningful give and take. Give your fans and followers full reign to voice their concerns, make their opinions known, and share the occasional award-winning chili recipe. Better yet, let them share videos of themselves making that award chili using the secret recipe spice blend you sell online.
Have a lot of reservations
Social media + Smartphone + Your Local Market = “Tweet Ahead Seating”. Already used by fine eateries in our local area, this super cool idea makes getting a table at hard-to-get-a-table-at places simpler. Simply encourage your guests to tweet you their reservations. When they start rolling in, have a friendly hostess tweet back how overjoyed you are that they’ll be joining you for dinner, and voila! You’ve created a clever and cool way for you and your guests to benefit from the whole social media experience. Oh…and be sure to have them share some pics of themselves enjoying something from your fabulous menu!
Turn buying viral
As a business owner, shopaholics are your best friend. Especially the sorts of shopaholics who see things, click things, and buy things…repeatedly. One way to take advantage of their impulses is to give your fine products their own Facebook page. Provide an enticing image or two, an irresistible description, a clickable link to product itself ….and, a plop a big and unmistakable share button where it’s impossible to miss. This lets your customers order two or three pairs of the cutest shoes in Ormond Beach, and then share their good fortune with 600 or so of their closest friends.
Don’t forget the fun
People like games and other fun, funny, or off-the-wall things. That’s why you get so many pop-up ads urging you to try “Words with Weirdos” and “Saggy Butt Saga”. Contests and giveaways are great, but there are lots of other clever (or even downright ridiculous) things that can bring your business a lot of attention. Rather than just fun for fun’s sake, these little extras are simple ways to boost sales and generate leads. For example, apply your twisted sense of humor to starting an online brand battle between your business’ mascot and another. After all, everybody who’s anybody knows that the Palm Coast Pizza Pirate kicks the Port Orange Pierogi Parrot’s feathered a?#! Or how about providing a funny picture (say picture of King Kong looking down at the blond bombshell he just dropped from the height of a five-story building)? Follow up by asking your followers to provide their funniest caption. I guarantee they won’t forget which business gave them a free dinner for two just for coming up with “Oh crap, I think I broke her.”
Making a splash on social media takes going out of your way to do something new and different. Don’t be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone and into the realm of the ridiculous if need be.
If you’ve yet to locate that all important funny bone, we here at Watson Media of Ormond Beach are ready and willing to help you find it. We are the experts at making social media marketing work and ways you’d never expect.