Social Media and Small Business October 17, 2016

Monday’s blog posts will be recaps of Sunday’s Podcasts, which if you haven’t started following yet, can be found on Blog Talk Radio.   Social Media Sunday with the Delaware Blogger – AAU Teen Talk Radio is on every Sunday at 6 p.m.

On October 2nd, my special guest was Nikki Valentine and we talked about the re-launching of her business N.V.Me Designs, click this link to hear the interview. 

If you are a small business owner who is just starting out and are looking for ways in which to get customers inside your doors if you are brick and mortar or go online to buy a product or service, you do realize that you must have a presence on social media right?

Current and potential customers are literally walking around with your business in their hands.  A few weeks ago, I attended a networking event at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, and everyone there had at least one social media platform in which to connect, most if not all had a Facebook business account which is what we talked about on the Podcast.

Social Media is a numbers game, however, it’s not how many you get, but how many you keep and how many of them take action.

FACEBOOK AND SMALL BUSINESS

Facebook now has 4 million advertisers and it’s being powered by more small businesses trying to reach customers, particularly on their mobile devices.

People are spending more time on their phones, more engagement on their phones, doing more things on their phones, because phones can do more. I remember the brick my hubby gave me as an engagement gift, it weighed about 10 lbs and it was attached to the car, then came the bag phone but all it could do was make and receive calls. 

Now mobile phones can do practically anything, conduct searches, give map directions, promote sales, take pictures and record live video.  Businesses are beginning to understand that they need to be where people are, and that’s on their mobile device. 

Setting up a Facebook Business Page is easy but you must have a personal page first, and there are many sites with instructions , I also have a Slideshare presentation that you can download.  Leave a comment below if you would like me to email you a copy

Facebook is where you can virtually hang out with your family and friends but more importantly with your customers and/or potential clients and customers.  Facebook is for entertainment so remember the 80/20 rule and don’t post “buy me” posts constantly. 

Share content from others in the same niche or industry and remember that what you share is perceived to be what you believe so be very careful when posting because using a “like or share is not an endorsement” disclaimer doesn’t hold water – just don’t post it.

Top 10 Benefits of a Facebook Business Page

1. Everyone is on Facebook – need I say more?

2. Increased Exposure to Potential Customers – everyone is on Facebook right?

3. Gather More Leads – gather leads in the form of email addresses — so you can contact them outside of Facebook.  Promotion of contests, giveaways through newsletters

4. Facebook business page costs you exactly $0. – but you don’t own it so start a blog!

5. Insights and analytics – you can see where your audience is coming from (likes, reach, page views, engagement, shares, performance, etc.)

6. Build Brand Loyalty – if you consistently provide valuable and entertaining content, your followers will stay loyal and share your message, product or service

7. Increase Your Web Traffic – social media platforms are the wheels that drive the vehicle to your website or blog and eventually to your store or service

8. Boost SEO – Search Engine Optimization – being found online – Google me

9. Be Mobile Ready – Facebook is already built to be mobile friendly, so take advantage of it.  Facebook page on a mobile device it shows users:

• Hours of operation – Address – Reviews – Phone number to call directly from the Facebook mobile app

1. Check in on Your Competition! – Facebook makes suggestions based on competition in my area in my same (or a similar) niche. Choose pages by clicking “Watch Page” or search for pages in the search box.

TWITTER AND SMALL BUSINESS

I have said it before and I’ll say it again, Twitter is by far my favorite social media platform.  Why – well for one, it’s quick, it’s happening right now in real time and I love hashtags. 

I liken FB to the friends you had in high school and Twitter are the friends you wish you had in high school.  It’s where the cool kids hang out and if you ever been retweeted, liked or followed by a celeb then you know how exciting that can be!

Hashtags are the best thing since slice bread!

Tweet that!

Twitter will display all other tweets with that hashtag – great way to search or find potential customers or topics to follow and share – great way to get your message and content out there. 

“I don’t get Twitter” is a common statement among small business owners. With more than 316 million active monthly users engaging in instant conversations, the social platform shouldn’t be ignored.  The main difference of Facebook and Twitter is on Twitter, following someone is not necessarily an admission of friendship, but an interaction and conversation in 140 characters or less.

If you already have a personal Twitter account and have been using it for your business, you may want to create a separate business account so that any personal information is not passed onto your business followers.  –  But remember that your brand is your brand not matter where it’s coming from.

Be as visible as possible, put on your Twitter handle on business cards, email address, flyers, etc.  Tweet only business info and not personal tweets on your business account.

Twitter is a great way to connect with your targeted audience and for your targeted audience to connect with you in real time – for example, two weeks ago I had to rebook a flight on a non-refundable ticket with Delta airlines and the customer service representative was amazing!  After I handled my business, I immediately posted my satisfaction to Delta Airlines and they immediately responded. 

Now small business owners don’t have the luxury of being online constantly like the bigger brands, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t check in first thing in the morning or right before going to bed in the evening to see if your brand or business was mentioned.

Speaking of which you can open an account at www.mention.com where you will enter the name of your business and then be alerted anytime someone mentions it it’s a social media monitoring and listening app that keeps you in the know.

Twitter is great for PR and networking, especially for event coverage and promotion.  Using a hashtag for an event and then getting attendees to tweet about using the hashtag gives you wider exposure.

Although you can’t own a hashtag you can register it for the event so that people can follow along at www.Twubs.com.  And if your hashtag is unique and you use it enough it becomes part of you and your business brand, i.e. #DelawareBlogger if you Google that you will find me all over the internet.

Businesses should have a Twitter account for several reasons:

1. Consumers are frustrated with call centers –  Oftentimes, individuals will go on Twitter after they’ve already sought a solution by calling the company’s helpline.

2. Instant gratification – Twitter allows customers to feel more in control of the timeliness of the solution. They can immediately go online, research a solution to try helping themselves or vent their problem in real-time, asking for help, whether from the brand or other customers.

3. Airing dissatisfaction publicly is part of a solution – Some people just want to be heard, good, bad and ugly, and sharing on Twitter gives them gratification. Some people like to tweet, tweet, tweet like a duck at 3 o’clock in the morning!

4. Hashtags allow you to Search for Terms Related to Your Biz – finding customers where they hang out and with whom – always check the followers of your followers and follow them if they are relevant.

Top Ten Twitter Tips – from CatchFireFunding.com

1. Follow industry leaders.

First, find your industry leaders on Twitter and follow them, all of them. These people are vital to building the right follower base. 

2. Follow authors who write about your industry.

You probably have a few favorite industry experts whose books you’ve read. Follow them on Twitter, but also follow all of the industry experts who’ve written books in your field. If you don’t know who these authors are, go to Amazon and search out books in your industry. Find the author’s names and follow them on Twitter.

3. Follow other authors.

Who writes the articles in the magazines and trade publications on your industry? Find out who these people are and follow them on Twitter. When I became active on Twitter, I followed every author I could find who wrote about entrepreneurship. While not everyone has a Twitter account, I found that 9 out of 10 authors and writers do.

4. Know your target audience.

Like you need to know your customers, you need to know your audience. You can have 1,000 followers who will never turn into customers, or you can have 100 quality followers who will either convert to customers, refer customers, or add value by sharing quality, relevant content. It’s important that your Twitter followers have something to gain by following you and vice versa.

5. Follow your industry hashtags.

Twitter has this great tool where you type in a hashtag in the search bar, such as #smallbusiness, and instantly a feed pops up with relevant posts and articles. It’s important that you monitor your industry hashtags so you stay current on industry trends and technology. You also use these hashtags when you Retweet and share posts. When you use the appropriate hashtag, you ensure that your post is “seen” by your target audience. Go on Twitter and play with the hashtags in your industry until you know which ones apply to your business.

6. Share quality content.

Twitter is all about adding VALUE; it’s not the place to oversell products and services. Read articles about your industry trends and share them on Twitter daily. Not only will you be learning, you’ll provide value to your target audience.

7. Tweet about industry events.

Stay on top of industry events and Tweet about them, whether it’s a local tradeshow or a national convention. In your Tweet, include the event’s hashtags and a link to the website so people can click on the link themselves.

8. Be engaging.

Twitter is not a spectator sport. Actively participate, comment and like others’ posts and Retweet (share) them daily. Twitter is all about building relationships and ADDING VALUE. One great way to add value is to write and share informative blogs, and of course, include your industry hashtags when posting so your audience will be able to find and read your content.

9. Post daily and repeat.

For your small business to succeed on Twitter, you have to post daily. Post at least 3 to 5 Tweets per day with several Retweets, which is similar to the “sharing” feature on Facebook. If your followers see that you haven’t been active in a month, they’re likely to “unfollow” you.  Use images as they get retweeted far more than just text

10. Don’t go off topic.

Your Twitter page should be relevant to your business, it should not discuss anything controversial, such as politics, and it should not go off topic. Keep the posts relevant to your niche market.

Most importantly – Engage the Influencers in Your Niche – as you know, bloggers are on Twitter and we love to retweet and share – sharing is caring and we are also looking to connect with businesses for collaborations and brand ambassadorships.  We retweet each other’s posts and would do the same with yours so connect with us on Twitter.

I have a chart that I found online that is a great reference tool which I will send to anyone who may be interested in receiving.  It lists all the popular social media platforms as well as the audience and demographics who uses them – a handy little cheat sheet so if you would like a copy, please leave a comment and I’ll send it in an email. 

Do you have any Facebook or Twitter tips to share?  Don’t forget to check out my Podcasts which are on Sunday at 6 on Blog Talk Radio, AAU Teen Talk Radio.

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