People were talking about your company last month on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Digg, Technorati, and the list goes on. Social media is here to stay. Make a plan, or better yet âEUR” work with someone who can help you with this plan, and put it into action. DonâEUR t be a laggard -your customers are expecting a social media presence from you.
1) Use It! Top companies such as Starbucks, Dell and Ford use social media to connect, communicate and market to their customers. Creating stellar content for your marketing materials is great. But great content doesnâEUR t distribute itself. It needs vehicles for people to pass it along, discuss it, blog it and tweet it, which is where social media comes in.
2) Locate the exact people you want to talk to: Companies can select specifics âEUR” moms of teenage children, young professionals, people looking to buy a new car. Learn how to search for people based on their age, location and preferences. For example, a wedding planner could look up everyone in the area that is recently engaged!
3) Foster the Trust: You know your customers have choices when it comes to where they do business. You also know customers buy from people they like and trust. Social media marketing is the way to connect and build relationships.
4) People are taking about your brand and your company. Be a part of the conversation. You can keep a close eye on the ongoing online conversations about your dealership âEUR” blogs, posts, tweets and more. ItâEUR s important to then enter the conversation to listen and participate. You make your customers feel connected to you and your dealership.
5) Blog Like Crazy: Blog about your new employee. Blog about next monthâEUR s special. Even blog about the companyâEUR s history. Lots of business owners think that they cannot blog, but they are wrong. Existing blogger sites âEUR” Blogger.com, GoingOn.com or WordPress.com âEUR” offer customized templates, to get you started.
6) Make it Easier: Use programs like Tweet Deck to set up Twitter messages in advance, just one time a month. Use PingFM to distribute a message that you only have to type in once. Use WordPress to create a customized blog with the same design as your website.
7) Let Them See You: Photos, videos and podcasts. They are free to create and upload; they only cost you time. What is better for a future customer to see than a current customersâEUR happy, smiling testimonial on your website? Set yourself apart from the competition by making your pages active and engaging; include MP3s of your top employees talking about their favorite parts of the company.
8 Know When ItâEUR s Happening: Set a Google Alert for a search engine. It will send you an email every time something gets indexed with your name. You need to know what people are saying about you so that you can participate. Listen first. Then, add thoughtful comments.
9) Do It Often: The social media pages and profiles that come up highest on the search engines are the ones who are most active. Spend time 3 times a week sending updates, making creative posts and sharing news. DonâEUR t have the time? Hire a social media firm!
10) Know the benefits: Social media is cost-effective marketing! You can use LinkedIn to send the message that you are hiring new employees and use Twitter to send out quick messages about short specials. By staying involved in social media, you show your customers that you are transparent, authentic, up-to-date and most of all, you are a real person!
Social media and social networking arenâEUR t going away any time soon. The major players and the types of social sites may change, but this is a new medium that professional marketers are trained how to adjust to. DonâEUR t be left behind.
About Virtual Assist USA
Virtual Assist USA is the fastest growing virtual assistant firm in the country. Busy business owners outsource tasks to us such as marketing, phone/email management, social media, search engine optimization, bookkeeping and web design. We add value to companies by saving them up to 30% on the cost of an employee and bringing our technical and creative expertise. http://www.pittsburghvirtualassistant.com
