Tips on how to use social media for business
As business owners, we spend so much time working in our business that we need to take a step back and take an objective look at where we are going and what we are doing. Social media is a huge asset to businesses and a great sales tool. It is one of three main digital shopfronts essential in business today.
To stay competitive today, you need a website that looks great (better than your competitors) and a strong Facebook page that actually engages your followers.
Don’t take yourself too seriously – It’s important to inject a little levity or humour into your brand message and social media is a great place to do this. If you are not a ‘funny person take the lead from others or leave it up to someone else. It is important to distance your brand from political, religious or controversial subjects. It’s also important that you distance your personal Facebook page from your business Facebook page. If your business trades on your reputation then you need to make sure that your personal Facebook page is squeaky clean. People will stalk you on social media, so make sure that you have your personal pages locked down from prying eyes! It’s nice to have Grandma like your page, but I am sure your customers don’t need to see all those details about last weeks family get together or the kiss emojis!
Update the Classics or Reinvent your brand – You may have a tried and tested brand, but is it coming across as dated? Example: Rolex. Understand your brand, your customer profile and re-position your product.
Related Article: The importance of Branding
Bring Back Customer Service – Interact with your customers on Social Media. implement a great customer service system that shows you care about your customers and answers their questions promptly. Provide Support
Related article: How to win customers and keep them for life
Provide inspiration to your customers – Give them ideas on new trends, how they can implement those trends in their life. Example: if your business is selling paint, share with your customers trending colours through Pinterest, Instagram, email marketing, client databases.
Educate and help your customers – New technology is quickly changing the way we connect with our customers on a daily basis and just finding the time to keep up can be exhausting. Our digital shop fronts are vital to doing business as now more than one in two Australians are researching online before they buy in a store. With access to all the information they need at their fingertips, our customers are becoming the experts, not us. As they say, a little knowledge can be dangerous, so it’s really important that you position yourself as an expert in your field. You can do this across your digital shopfronts and in doing so, not only do you empower your customers with Tips and Support. Provide training, blogs, videos and support on how to’s for your business.
Create a universal appeal and give a personal experience at the same time – Example: Coca Cola personalised bottles.
Embrace new technologies – Digital technology is evolving at a rapid pace and has been evolving for decades but today it’s becoming more than a consideration – it’s a necessity. In nearly every industry, bringing unprecedented transformation to the way businesses operate.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the latest technology trends such as AI or artificial intelligence and machine learning. With so many technology trends, it’s a challenge for business owners to identify which one for these compliments their goals. but the application benefits depend entirely on strategy and objectives, and successful adoption.
Related article: 5 ways to increase Facebook engagement