Social networks could help you reach out to millions of potential customers. Read this article to learn how to establish a strong presence on social networks.
Start by creating profiles on different social networks. You should join popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter and find out if your audience uses any other sites. Your goal is to create professional pages; use your logo and choose similar designs for your different profiles. You also need to add relevant information to these profiles as well as links to your official website. Add pictures of your products and location too.
Claim your business on Yelp, Google Maps, Yellow Pages and similar listing services. Write a short description of your services or products and make sure the contact information is up to date. Upload a picture of your store too. You can encourage your customers to write reviews of your business on these sites; do not hesitate to offer a discount to the people who wrote the best reviews.
Encourage people to ‘check in’ on Facebook or FourSquare when they visit your store. You could for instance offer an immediate discount if a customer ‘checks in’ with their cell phone. When a user ‘checks in’, their status is updated with a link to your page; this is a good way to reach out to the friends of your customers, who are likely to belong to the same demographic. Remember to give an incentive to get people to use this feature.
Post content to your social networks on a regular basis. You should post new updates up to three times a week; share links to your most recent articles, post pictures or videos or advertise discounts. Find a way to get your audience’s attention; remember that your updates will be viewed among what their friends are posting. Adapt your technique to the social network you are using. On Facebook, a picture or a video is usually a good way to get some attention while on Twitter, hash tags usually work best.
Encourage people to connect with you on social networks by mentioning the discounts you will advertise. Your customers will connect with you if they feel like they can save money or have access to exclusive content. Make sure you place links to your profiles on your site and in your emails and mention your social networks updates in your articles when it is relevant to do so. You could also organize a contest and require people to connect with you on social networks to enter it.
Always be polite and helpful to the people who get in touch with you. Let your customers know that they can ask you questions and comment on your updates to express their opinion about your business. If someone complains, be courteous and do your best to satisfy them. Do not argue with anyone and always keep a very professional tone. People should feel safe about sharing their opinion and you should consider social networks as a good occasion to establish a positive image of yourself.
Use these tips to develop a good presence on social networks. Keep track of your results and make a few changes to your campaign if necessary.