Bruce Says...
Social Media is a vital tool for any business, proving to be a powerful way to not only get your name out and about but to essentially engage and interact with current and potential customers.
Social Media marketing is an excellent way of gaining website traffic and attention, and as long as your site is sharp, effective and scattered with calls to action, there is a great chance potential clients will pick up the phone and contact you.
It is also an easy way of connecting and networking with other businesses, and we all know the benefits of establishing new referral partners whom may also fall into the customer category.
Like all forms of web marketing, social media marketing differs from offline marketing as its progress can be easily measured. The success of social media channels can be measured by likes, followers, connections etc. Therefore, you’re getting a solid figure at the end of every month of how many people you have reached and interacted with.
Social media can be easily accessed through numerous media including PCs, Apple devices, smartphones and tablets. This literally leaves the power of online marketing at your fingertips, taking just seconds to write and post a tweet which can then reach hundreds of viewers, driving them towards your website.
Here is everything we can do for you and your business through the power of social media...
Facebook is growingly popular and more and more businesses are setting up profiles and pages to gain likes and spread brand awareness. Facebook also offers an advertising scheme where you can advertise specifically to your target market using a pay per click system. We can engage your clients and potential customers through conversational posts, photos, polls and much more. Facebook is very much suited for B2C brands but can also work for B2B purposes too. Facebook can easily link up to Instagram and Twitter so you can continuously provoke interaction through multiple media.
Twitter is currently very much the up and coming social media channel amongst companies. We can spread the word of your business through tweets, replying to tweets, retweeting and favouriting. A Twitter feed can be anything from personal to specifically business orientated, but once you have a good following from other businesses it is a great networking method. Hashtagging is a main feature of Twitter, as placing the # symbol in front of key words and phrases (e.g. #busydayattheoffice or #nefollowers) will get your tweets (and therefore your profile) into search results. This often triggers retweets. Twitter doesn’t just have to be limited to you or your business. It has proven effective having a company ‘mascot’, complete with their own quirky personality, to have their own Twitter feed, posting interesting facts and industry-related quotes and jokes. We can run numerous Twitter accounts for you, which can really increase the engagement with followers and if they are replying/retweeting tweets, it is directing more and more traffic to your website.
Pinterest is ideal for businesses within the ecommerce industry. We can manage pin boards which can showcase your products, divide them into categories, emphasize sale items, tag your photos and much more. Re-pinning is an important aspect of Pinterest, because if users don’t see your pins through searches, they will see your profile when we have re-pinned their pins. We can link Pinterest with your other social media channels so that as soon as your profile pins a new picture, it will appear on your Facebook or Twitter page immediately. What was that phrase again… Hitting two birds with one stone?
Instagram is an online photo sharing and social networking service which works well alongside numerous other social media channels. It’s an effective way of sharing pictures of your produce, your team or just general shenanigans taking place in your day-to-day business happenings. This application adds a digital filter to your photos, creating a unique and attractive image. It’s a great way to demonstrate the personality behind your company which is always well received because people like companies who come across as personable and friendly. This method can work particularly well for companies running ecommerce websites as when new stock comes in, taking a quick snap and uploading it to Instagram can instantly interest hundreds if not thousands of people, and drive them to your website to take a closer look. Instagram also uses hashtagging which will enter your picture into searches seen by millions of other people. Pictures can gain ‘likes’ and be instantly shared through other social media channels including Facebook and Twitter.
This is a professional network where your company can have its own profile, as can all of your employees. It has been designed for B2B brands and so is better suited for networking and exhibiting purposes. Your company profile can gain likes as more and more people gain knowledge of it and employees can connect with clients, contacts, suppliers and other business acquaintances. Employees can also regularly write updates on their profile about your company and their connections can like and share these posts. These connections drive traffic towards your company profile and then onto your website.
Google+ is a social networking and identity service which forms just one social layer, covering many of Google’s online properties. It integrates social services such as Google Profiles, Circles, Hangouts and Sparks. It is another social media channel that allows you to regularly post comments, photos and events to engage and interact with other businesses and potential clients.
YouTube is an excellent video sharing network which suits both B2C and B2B brands. A recent way of grabbing attention and spreading brand awareness has been through viral videos and video channels. Creating your own advertisement is quick and easy to do and, if executed well, can be an extremely effective way of rapidly spreading brand awareness. YouTube is a great way for supporting campaigns for B2B purposes. After all, videos have proved far more attention-grabbing and engaging compared with just words.
Flickr is another image sharing site great for both B2B and B2C markets as it is a great way to spread awareness of business campaigns. It is also ideal for companies in the ecommerce market as posting pictures of new stock will stir up interest and encourage customer engagement, driving traffic towards your online shop. We can also ensure photos are tagged to increase SEO and viewers can like, comment and share your images. Like Pinterest, we can share other users’ photos, nudging them to share yours.
Social media doesn’t stop at the channels that are proving more and more beneficial to your business. Blogging is also a brilliant way to gain excellent SEO and swiftly boost your Google rank. As you can blog about virtually anything you fancy, it is a great method to broaden the amount of search results your website can pop up in.
Too busy to blog? Don’t have the time to tweet?
Well, this is a minor problem which we can easily resolve. We will do it for you! We will schedule weekly or monthly updates so that we can find out what you want your business to be talking about and we ensure everything is done and dusted. Wordpress will tell you how many people your blog has reached and how many people have responded to it. This is part and parcel of the beauty of online marketing. The numbers do the speaking, so you can see in black and white what works and what doesn’t.
So, if you’re interested in:
- Enhancing relationships with your customers
- Continuing to build and improve your company brand
- Providing excellent customer service through a multitude of media
Call Design365 on 01325 311 909 or email us at sales@design365.co.uk to embrace social media and give your online activity a real boost!
