A new era of advertising your business is here
The days of staying competitive with newspaper ads and yellow pages are gone. Ask anyone when was the last time they used the yellow pages, and many of the will give you a blank stare.
The key difference between the advertising strategy of last 3 decades, and advertising in the age of the Internet, is immediacy. It’s not just launching a web site. It’s a lineup of opportunities that need frequent attention: blogs, social networking, link building, and taking advantage of other constantly emerging technologies. All of these require solid, experienced planning and management.
We are living in a world of constantly being bombarded by media. With the rise in websites and on-line advertising, there are more choices to the consumer than ever before. You need stand out to capture the attention of your customer on the internet so you can stay competitive in the ever changing marketplace. But the internet can be an intimidating place for most small business owners. Blogs, social media sites like facebook, twitter, or LinkedIn, and designing and managing websites can easily overwhelm most.
And venturing out on your own, struggling through the different programs, can spell disaster. In fact, if your social media program isn’t done right, it can be worse for your business than not doing it at all.
So, what can social media marketing do for you? Understand that marketing is all about creating an image (your brand), sharing information, and being part of a community. It’s about reaching out and talking to your customers and finding out about their needs and opinions, especially of your products and services. And, whether you know it or not, information about your business and customer’s opinions are already out there for everyone to read. Do you know what they’re saying? The saying that “it takes 10 satisfied customers to outweigh just one complaint” is absolutely true.
Social media marketing can revitalize your business
The social media arena can be a huge asset for your business. There are literally hundreds of social media websites out there, and more being added every week. But, the top three are Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. If you don’t already feel the effects of not having a Linkedin, Facebook, or a Twitter account, set them up and manage them for six months and you will see just how much these public relations tools can make a difference. A large online presence with followers and fans can revolutionize the way your business interacts with consumers, and ultimately draws in more of them. A public relations campaign through social media can lead to business insights, new areas of development, and increased growth. These tools and networks are available to you if you know how to use them.
But, social media marketing isn’t as simple as signing up for a Facebook account and tweeting every tiny detail of your day. It’s not about how many followers you have. To effectively engage with your customers, you need a creative way to grab their attention and inspire continued interaction. I can help you develop these motivational pieces to get noticed and get involved.
Social media engagement strategies are unique to each company. What works for one may not work for you, and what worked once is not always repeated with equal success. That’s why I work closely with you, to identify your strengths, come up with potential conversation topics and determine how best to build, shape and grow your own social media community; and thus build your business.
But, it takes skill and insight to manage your company’s image through social media community. Social media marketing services aim to leverage communication between you and the rest of the world. I will show you how interacting with your customer base can make a huge difference in bringing new potential customers to your business.
We can design and manage an integrated, strategic plan for your specific business that will maximize the draw of new customers to your business. All you have to do is tell us what your business provides and who are your customers. We’ll do the rest.
But, this will always remain a partnership. Throughout the design, implementation and management phases we will work together to develop a program that works best for you. And, we’ll continue to work together to evaluate and adjust the results of your program to achieve maximum benefit from our efforts.
Doing It Yourself
Some people really enjoy social networking and are excellent at online communicating through social platforms like facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. So, if you want to handle the social media marketing program yourself, in partnership with several local programs, we can help you set it all up and train you to be a social media expert.
Opinion marketing has long been one of the most powerful forms of advertising. Hear your friend’s enthusiastic narration of an experience with a new restaurant or see the frustration in your daughter’s face as she complains about poor services she got from a store, and you find it difficult not to be swayed. Approval from someone that you know and respect can be stronger than all the celebrity endorsements, clever ads and catchy jingles combined. Online social media management can harness the incredible power of friends and families all over the US.
Monitoring and connecting with people in the social media landscape is a way to tap into and join online conversations about your brand. It’s a way to connect with your customers and understand their needs and desires.