Modern Marketing

We’ve discussed Facebook, customer service, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and more in previous shows. Now let’s talk about putting it all together. You set up your social media accounts: Facebook, maybe Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest …. Whatever combination you want to try… you can always remove one if it fails to gain traction or add one or another later on. That’s the good thing about social media marketing. It’s a low cost, low risk way of experimenting …Now, plan your posting calendar by writing a list of the 20 or so most important things you want to post about.

How to coordinate social media with your offline marketing efforts to get the greatest bang for your buck. Which platforms are best for you? Here's some direction and inspiration.

Find a bunch of accounts to follow. Look for, first of all, those that are relevant to your business, including thought leaders, marketing gurus, companies and people in your industry you admire … that sort of thing. You can also follow, as we said earlier, competitors, community organizations, politicians, your local newspaper, TV or radio stations and their reporters... business reporters, especially. You might need to do a little research… tune in to the station, pick up a newspaper… or read ‘em online… so you know who to follow. Some of them — surprise — will follow you back.

Hard to believe but some people may come to your Facebook page because they hate you. Or they’re already customers and have service or support issues and your normal channels just aren’t getting the job done. Perhaps your customer support has been outsourced or there are immediate technical issues. Instead of getting on the phone and receiving an uncertain reception, they go on Facebook, they complain and expect immediate action. What do you do then?

It seems natural — and it is — but you gotta be careful. No one ever liked a Facebook page because they wanted to see a consistent stream of your ads on their timeline, no matter how cleverly they’re written or composed with cat videos or clever memes. In fact, you can’t even assume their motivation for liking your page and following you. Maybe they already own your product or use your service. Maybe they want to, or maybe they’re your competition. I’m sure you can think of plenty of possibilities. But that’s ok; no matter what their reason, you have their attention. What do you do with it?

To a lot of people, Social media consists of posting pictures of cats, today’s lunch, funny videos and memes on Facebook. But for business, it’s a cost-effective — and even free — way to engage with your customers and prospects, build your brand, and maybe even sell your products and services. And that’s just the beginning … once you establish a social media presence. Here's an overview on using social media marketing for small and growing businesses.

Show notes and more here.