Whenever you start a business, whether it is offline or online, a good business plan is crucial for guiding you along the path to success. You should start using the newest marketing techniques now before they become outdated.
Post new blog entries at least four or five times a week. Post all sales or promotions to the blog as they occur. Your blog can also announce clearances, specials and changes in location or hours. Ensure these are also posted on your blog.
You should invite all of your friends and professional contacts to visit your sites. Even if these people do not have a need or interest in your business, having them become aware of your business and having the ability to share it with others at the click of the mouse could mean your next big deal.
Ensure that you are always updating your blog and sharing it with your social media sites. Blogs are a great place to post information on promotions or sales. Even if you simply changed something simple like your store hours or new location. be sure to include that information in your blog.
Social Media
Let your existing clients know if you start to use social media marketing. If they follow you on the social media that they use, all their contacts will be able to see that. This facet represents free advertising, which should never get underestimated or ignored. Referrals like this carry more weight that traditional advertising.
Place social networking widgets on your website to maximize exposure. The ideal way to glean followers is by placing widgets onto your site. A widget will also let the visitors share your page directly from your site.
Make your site more social media-friendly with comments, ratings and favorite lists. People are more likely to return to a site where they feel important and active.
Be sure you have your website set up so that your visitors can “Like” you and follow your activities via social media. The majority of social media site users access them every day, so if you can give them easy access to you on their favorite sites, they will see instantly each time you post.
Interact with your customers whenever you can. Leave them comments on their Facebook status or blog post if you feel that this is appropriate. However, don’t jump into someone else’s personal conversation. You should only enter into communication if they’re directly discussing a topic relative to the services or products you offer.
Utilize both social media strategies and an email campaign. Make sure that your emails contain buttons or links to your Facebook or Twitter accounts, with a note that you personally answer customer questions there. It is also a great idea to provide an option for subscribing to your newsletter in any email correspondence.
Engage with your consumers as often as you can. If you get to know certain customers well, comment on their blogs or Facebook walls. When you are making comments do not get involved with a personal discussion; contact them only when they are chatting about something that pertains to your business or products.
Register for an account on Yahoo, and search through the Yahoo Answers section. The Yahoo site offers viewers a chance to raise questions and seek answers from fellow users. Provide useful answers to questions about your products, focusing on demonstrating your expertise rather than trying to sell. This knowledge will make viewers look to you as being an expert in these products and get them to visit your sites and purchase from you.
The typical image on social media expertly captures your attention. Many are photoshopped so they are more intriguing. It’s a great idea to use intriguing images, it draws people to your ad. Once readers are drawn in, they will be more likely to visit your site and do business with you.
You won’t have results overnight. It takes some time in order to come up with a solid strategy for social media marketing. Prior to announcing major social media efforts, take the time to get as many people as possible signed up to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. To get the word out, make your social media page known in all of your other marketing materials.
Buttons, widgets and other apps are your best friends when it comes to holding down a successful social media marketing campaign. The buttons should appear on all pages, profiles, blogs, emails and signatures. This really gives the look and feel of a legitimate social user and not just a cold, dry business. Make sure you also take the opportunity to link everything together into a fluid network.
Be prepared for the negativity associated with social media marketing. You can also use your social media pages to improve customer relations, whether people are happy or complaining. Don’t ignore it, but respond to it in a helpful way.
Giving away freebies via your social profile is a great way to entice new followers. By hosting a giveaway you will gain many new followers. Determine what the freebie will be, and post links to your contest on social media profiles that are specifically devoted to giveaways and contests.
Utilize social networks for promoting special offers. If you offer greater access and better discounts to your followers, people are more likely to follow you on Facebook. Social media needs to be seen as a chance for customers to receive more information about you and to be more involved with you and your brand and products.
Try using Facebook games. Try to come up with an idea for creating a game that is associated with your business, product, or service. Some well-known companies have been able to leverage Facebook’s game functionality to create viral properties that attracted millions to their Facebook pages. You may consider it money well spent to hire a professional game design company to help you with game development.
Hopefully, this advice will work toward your immediate business success, as well as provide lessons for the future. Social media will not be going away anytime soon, so keep these tips in mind the next time you are looking to launch a marketing campaign. It’s not quite as hard as it seems, but it’s still fairly challenging. That’s why it’s always good to have advice you can rely on.