Engaging Consumers Through Social Media

Traditional marketing methods, such as television commercials, direct mail advertisements and print ads are effective for drawing consumers to a business, but some businesses are looking for ways to increase interaction with customers. As social media marketing becomes increasingly popular for small businesses, those using it are becoming more aware of the importance and value of engaging consumers.

Most any business will benefit from incorporating social media into its marketing plan. The process of doing so doesn't have to be time-consuming or stressful. By starting slowly and building a solid plan, a small business can create a social media marketing plan that engages consumers and increases profit.


Simple Tips To Engage Consumers

• Encourage Response. Text marketing, Facebook status posts and blog posts encourage consumers to respond. Take it a step further by including an open-ended question that elicits answers other than "yes" and "no." Customers are often surprised to discover the comment they left on a Facebook business page has received a response from the business. These communication efforts attract consumers who want something more than just an attractive website.
  
  
• Initiate Communication. The small business that waits for consumers to initiate conversation may end up only hearing from its customers when they have a complaint. Although it's important to know when something is wrong so there's an opportunity to correct it, it's better for businesses in the long-run to foster positive communication by reaching out to customers. Provide consumers with the opportunity to become engaged in communication by using social media venues that encourage interaction. Facebook is an excellent place for that, but it's not the only place. Set up a business profile on LinkedIn and engage consumers there, too.
  
  
• Create a Ripple Effect. Word-of-mouth is still an effective way to spread news and information about a business. Those who are tech-savvy provide value to the consumer, and knowing how to draw them in can help spread word of their business around the world. Tweet promo codes to consumers who have signed up to receive them and encourage those consumers to share the codes with family and friends.
  
  
• Add Value to the Consumer's Experience. To create value, a business has to get to know its customer base. Understanding demographics can help with this, and so can a good customer database. Businesses can also survey customers on their social media uses to determine what platforms are used most predominantly and what type of information consumers want to receive. By doing so, a company can tailor the information they provide to the specific needs and interests of its customer base.
  
  
• Reach Out with Customer Service. It's smart business to follow up with customers to ensure a satisfactory experience. Technological advances have made it easier for businesses to hide behind their computers and lose the personal touch that many customers still value. Use email follow-ups or a traditional method such as a phone call to ensure customer satisfaction and express gratitude for the customer's patronage.

Putting It All Together

An effective social media marketing plan must be consistent and valuable to hold the interest of the consumers. An occasional blog post or random Tweet won't keep the attention of consumers the way regular posts will. Likewise, excessive emails, posts or Tweets that border on spam will drive potential customers away. A well-balanced approach that provides value helps businesses engage consumers.


About The Author: Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in writing guest posts covering social media and education. Currently, Lindsey is completing work on her master's degree.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Lindsey and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

Related articles:
Social Media Day Meet-ups: How Can They Work For You
5 Do's And 5 Don'ts In Social Media
Building Your Business With Social Media
The 10 Basic Rules Of Social Media Marketing
Top 14 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing
How To Use Facebook For Your Small Business
9 Tips For More Effective Facebook Marketing


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Building Your Business With Social Media

People all over the world use social media networks to stay in contact with friends and relatives, share photos, and play games. However, social media can also be an excellent marketing tool for businesses. By building an online presence for your business, you can develop relationships with potential consumers and distribute your brand's message to a larger audience.


Benefits Of Creating Social Media Profiles

• Small businesses gain instant, cost-effective exposure.
  
  
• Large businesses can connect with previous customers and potential consumers alike.
  
  
• Consumers have another way to ask questions or provide feedback about your business.
  
  
• Consumers can "like" or "follow" your business, which allows you to update them periodically about sales, promotions, and new products.
  
  
• When consumers connect with your business, they are essentially endorsing your company. Their friends see the endorsement and are more likely to purchase products or services from you in the future.
  
  
• Your business can use social media advertisements, such as Facebook's Sponsored Stories, to draw more consumers to your profile.
  
  
• You can also use the platform to strengthen your business's brand and distribute brand images.

Tips To Get The Most Out Of Social Media

Start small. When you begin your social media marketing campaign, create one profile and update it frequently. Don't move on to your second profile until you are comfortable with the first.

Branch out when you are comfortable. Though you should start with one profile, you should also make an effort to move on to others when you are able. Maintaining profiles on multiple social media platforms allows your business to reach the highest possible number of consumers.

Link to your website. Pass your social media traffic onto your website by placing links to the site in several locations on each of your profiles.

Create valuable content. When you tweet, post on Facebook, or send messages to your connections, make sure that you provide something of value in each communication. Consumers don't respond well to overt advertising, but they will feel connected to your business if you consistently provide them with useful information and insight.

Update frequently. Consumers expect to see regular updates on your profiles. If you do not update, your connections may assume that your profile is no longer active. In addition, regular updates "remind" consumers about your brand.

Interact. Two-way communication is a key component of social media marketing. When your consumers comment on your posts or leave feedback, respond to them.

Hire a professional. Consider hiring a social media professional to maintain your profiles. Many social media experts have degrees in business communications, so they know how to reach your target demographic. These professionals also possess effective writing skills and marketing knowledge geared specifically toward social media content creation.

The social media scene is still new to many businesses. Tapping into this resource early will give you an advantage over the competition. By creating detailed social media profiles, updating frequently, and interacting with your connections, you can build rapport with consumers and encourage brand loyalty.


About The Author: Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in writing guest posts covering social media and education. Currently, Lindsey is completing work on her master's degree.

Do you like this article by Lindsey Harper Mac? Please let Lindsey and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

Related articles:
The 10 Basic Rules Of Social Media Marketing
Top 14 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing
How To Use Facebook For Your Small Business
9 Tips For More Effective Facebook Marketing


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post on Wednesday, have a wonderful week!

Top 3 Blogging Tips For Increasing Internet Presence

So, you've created a professional Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profile, but you're still not getting the recognition you expected. In the current digital age, employers tend to be more surprised when an applicant DOESN'T have a presence on these mediums than when they do.

While utilizing other social media platforms such as Reddit, StumbleUpon and the newer Google+, your best of chance of getting recognized is to link all of your media into one area. If you really want to stand out from other applicants in the job market and increase your Internet presence, creating a blog is the best way to establish credibility and really allow potential employers (or even potential business partners) to see what you're capable of. In the meantime, consider the following helpful tips to get started:


Write for your target audience

According to marketing professional and blogger extraordinaire Jim Connolly, you should tailor your blog according to your audience and no one else. It's impossible to satisfy every reader that visits your blog, and the truth is, you probably don't even want to. A message that attempts to please everyone will end up being unfocused and uninspiring, which will, ironically, have the exact opposite affect you intended by simply not interesting any visitors. Evaluate who your audience is, and who you want your audience to be. If you're in the job market, make sure to exemplify your skills and value for employers in your field through the messages expressed in your blog.


Leverage your other social media sites

Alia Haley of Today Tricks claims that one of the best ways to maximize your online presence is to utilize every social media resource at your fingertips. By simply sharing your blogging links with friends on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you have already gained exposure to three extensive audiences.

Social media not only offers the opportunity to share with your friends and colleagues, but also the networks of these individuals through link sharing and other exposure-increasing methods. However, just adding links to your other sites isn't good enough. You must maintain the sites and remain active and engage with others while updating your blog often.


Inspire your reader

When offering advice to aspiring bloggers, professional blogger Darren Rowse explains that blogs should enhance the users' experience, or chances are that reader won't return. Any blogger can rehash generic information on the subject at hand, but the most successful bloggers offer interesting takes and unique information that both inspires and entertains the reader.

Your online presence depends on your readership, and satisfied readers typically lead to a larger audience overall, thus increasing your online presence. A good way to discover interesting or thought-provoking topics is to navigate through Yahoo! Answers. Type in related search query keywords to see what people are asking. Be the first to answer these questions and not only will this establish you as an authoritative leader in your industry, but your blog will end up returning more views as you are answering pertinent questions.


About The Author: Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in writing guest posts on social media and education. Currently, Lindsey is completing work on her master's degree.

Do you like this article by Lindsey Harper Mac? Please let Lindsey and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog

You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776

Until my next post on Friday, enjoy the rest of the week!