| #1 - Create a community around your business | | | | tools to help you target the people who will be |
| A business with a happy load of customers can | | | | genuinely interested in your brand, who will then pass |
| create a busy, popular Facebook page or Twitter | | | | on your message to others, creating a chain along |
| account, which in turn shows new customers that | | | | which your information is passed. With Social Media |
| people are pleased with what you do and you can be | | | | Marketing, you can also reach new demographics that |
| trusted. Your fans may turn out to be evangelists who | | | | you previously could not, or perhaps discover new |
| will shout from the rooftops about how great you are | | | | groups of people who you hadn't even considered to |
| (assuming, of course, that you ARE great... better | | | | be targets. |
| make sure you are!). | | | | #9 - Monitor your brand, its reputation and its |
| #2 - Build a personal rapport with customers | | | | successes and weaknesses |
| Speaking to a real person encourages trust and gives | | | | Analytical tools can help you work out which areas |
| your company a down-to-earth personality. Showing | | | | are working and which need more help. There are so |
| you're not just an abstract corporate entity can be | | | | many different types of Social Media that it's possible |
| really important in creating trust and transparency. | | | | to approach your campaign in various different ways, |
| Have fun, amuse and engage your customers, find out | | | | with different media, to target different customers. And |
| what they like or dislike, what they need from you and | | | | with the openness of opinions and feedback it is very |
| think of you, speak to like-minded people who enjoy | | | | easy to see whether people are happy or not. |
| your brand, show your thanks personally. Get involved. | | | | #10 - Increase visibility, increase SEO success |
| #3 - Use as an effective new customer service | | | | If you build it, they will come... The more places your |
| technique | | | | company can be found online, the more re-tweets, the |
| Instead of being directed through a mind-numbing | | | | more information shared, the more your content is |
| labyrinth of automated answering services, or having | | | | linked to, the higher you will rank with search engines, |
| to wait for an email reply, or being kept on hold until | | | | giving you a more trusted reputation and ensuring |
| their heads explode, customers can have almost | | | | more traffic into your site. Party time. Excellent. |
| instant access to a business representative via Social | | | | #11 - A place to showcase new products, promotions, |
| Media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Your | | | | advertisements and business ideas |
| feedback, or any resolution of complaints of problems | | | | With the added bonus of immediate viewing, feedback |
| can be public if you want them to be, showing other | | | | and opinions from either your peers or your customers, |
| customers just how wonderful you are. | | | | you can get instant results from new ideas and |
| #4 - A forum for discussion | | | | promotions. Why not hold a poll, ask for customer |
| What's everyone's favourite subject? ME. (Well, not | | | | suggestions and get everyone involved? A little |
| me, but you, or them... oh you know what I mean...) | | | | snooping will also allow you to compare with and |
| Engage and empower your customers and let them | | | | discover new insight into competitors' work. |
| make your ears burn. A blog, a forum, Facebook wall, | | | | #12 - An easy, cheap marketing strategy that requires |
| group or Twitter page can act as the perfect place | | | | very little IT knowledge |
| for customers and clients to discuss products, services | | | | If Grandma is tweeting, there's no excuse why you're |
| and general interest in your company. Joining in with | | | | not. Anyone can learn to use the platforms of Social |
| the conversation and entertaining your viewers can | | | | Media Marketing, though it does need careful planning |
| increase popularity and make your customers feel | | | | to ensure success. This is the beauty of Social Media - |
| involved. | | | | it doesn't require a huge amount of computer |
| #5 - Injecting some fun into your business | | | | expertise to conquer, and you can use existing |
| If people like the content you're posting, they will | | | | programs like YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare etc to |
| re-post, re-tweet, link, share and spread the word | | | | showcase your videos and photos, and simple blog |
| further than you can imagine. Give them good reason | | | | software such as Tumblr or WordPress to create a |
| to do so. Competitions, interesting stories, observations, | | | | professional looking site, without having to invest in |
| polls, links and humour can all keep customers | | | | expensive and complicated software. |
| interested and engaged and have them coming back | | | | #13 - A media that is used by "the critical mass" of the |
| regularly for more. | | | | population |
| #6 - Provide a powerful word-of-mouth network | | | | Wowsers. 400 million Facebook users worldwide! |
| Creating unique, compelling content that users will want | | | | Apparently, 64% of internet users in the UK have a |
| to share with their friends is key. People are much | | | | Social Media profile - social networking is currently |
| more likely to trust a recommendation from someone | | | | insanely popular, used by millions daily, often multiple |
| they know than just blindly believing advertising | | | | times daily, to keep in contact, keep updated and |
| marketing, however clever it may be. Getting your | | | | discover new things that interest them. Those who |
| content on as many platforms as possible increases | | | | aren't connected are likely to become so in the future, |
| the likelihood that it will reach your target audience and | | | | in one form or another. Just like email has superseded |
| beyond. | | | | the letter and even the phone call in recent times, |
| #7 - Give your company a dynamic, modern aspect | | | | Social Media is going to take precedence in years to |
| Social Media is here to stay, and is only going to | | | | come as the most common form of technical |
| develop further, so you might as well get on board. | | | | communication. Er, probably want to sign up for that |
| We're in the 21st century here, people! It's no longer | | | | account then. |
| purely a social network for sharing how bored you are | | | | #14 - A variety of platforms to choose from according |
| at work or the latest picture of a friend's bonny baby, | | | | to a business' needs |
| it's an essential platform for marketing and business | | | | No matter the nature of your business, there is a form |
| today. You can reach further, increase visibility, | | | | of Social Media for you, be it text dominated, image or |
| strengthen reputation and show you can move with | | | | video led, or with an emphasis on community and |
| the times. Throw away those argyle socks and get | | | | communication. A combination of all of these can be |
| yourself an iPad. | | | | an effective marketing strategy, and open up your |
| #8 - Target a relevant audience and reach new | | | | company to new forms of advertising and increased |
| demographics | | | | brand awareness. |
| We have ways of making them talk (about you)... And | | | | #15 - It's going to take over the world! |