By: Andria Kaplan
You can never get enough resources when it comes to social media. The game is always changing and there’s always a new trend to incorporate. For the small business owner however, we thought these questions asked by Bad Girl Venture participants from a 2015 social media workshop may be useful!
Here you go!
1. “I need to use social media to offer discounts for likes and shares to market my business. Please help me understand how to do this!”
Assuming you’ve already built yourself a Facebook business page, the next step is to offer a discount. If your customers like your page, this can be done by placing a small sign near your checkout counter and when customers show you they’ve liked the page you can offer them a discount.
On Instagram the same can be done, if you encourage users to create a post with your hashtag. You can choose at random, on a specific day or whatever works best for you.
Our suggestion would be to define where your audience lives on social media and start small. Here’s an example from H&M:
2. “What is the best way to advertise on social media without turning people off? And what is the best social media format/tool to use for effective marketing?”
The best way to advertise on social media is to stay true to your brand. You know what your audience is after so start by crafting blogs, content, and contests that speak to them but are always true to your mission.
Be sure to always add photos and links that lead directly to the published posts purpose or to your website. You wouldn’t want to say “shop our online store 24/7” and the link leads to your contact page or your homepage. The link should land directly to the online shopping page.
3. “How do you know what time of day produces the largest audience? How many times a day should you post?”
Facebook: Go to the Insights Tab on your Facebook Business Page and click Posts and you will see a tab titled ‘When Your Fans Are Online.’ This will give you the data to determine when to post to Facebook.
Twitter does not yet have analytics available for determining what time your audience is online. However, if you can Tweet regularly throughout the day you can collect data yourself on what tweets were most popular at what times. It’s more work but if Twitter has large engagement potential for your business it’s worth it.
Instagram is in the same boat as Twitter but has less data available. Your best bet is to post at different times, record the data and determine when you have the highest level of engagement.
4. “How much personal information should you share on a business account? Does it help sell your product if customers know your personal story? Or does it detract from your product?”
I think it all boils down to how comfortable you feel and what your brand is. For example, at Hey Now! Media content that is focused around our team members reaches far more people then content that is not. We now tailor our content to be personal and from us.
Watch this video we created so our audience could “meet” us virtually!
Most people like to buy and/or associate with people they like and are familiar with. I always suggest telling some kind of personal story. If you’re the owner, write a blog or if one of your employees is doing something awesome take a photo and upload it to social media.
Personal connection is more important than ever. Sharing the “whys” of how you started your business can only further push your brand’s mission.
5. “How do you turn your followers into clients? How do you track where they came from on social media? Can I measure it?”
Embrace Google Analytics and tons of excel spreadsheets!!
Google Analytics allows you to see exactly where people from social media go on your website. From there you can begin to create a content marketing strategy focused on that data. I keep spreadsheets of what our audience is clicking mostly from email blasts to remind myself what gets people engaged. Try a few things for two or three months and see what sticks.
Mailchimp’s click map makes this very easily accessible. It allows you to look at the percentage of readers that clicked on specific links. Below is an example:
6. “What are the best ways to build your community online – Facebook? Twitter? Should you share every blog post every time? How?”
First, research where your target demographic is online, then build a social media site there. As for blogging, if you’re producing quality blog posts then yes – pump them out in moderation. Remember to switch up your content though. Check out the chart below for posting schedule.
7. “When does it become worth it to invest in paid social media marketing?”
If you have the budget then from day 1. As long as you’re contributing to social media (retweeting others, liking other Facebook Pages and responding to comments and messages) keep pumping out amazing content on the right channel… your following will come. If you want to jumpstart it a bit then go a head and invest a few dollars. Paid social media marketing is an inexpensive way to begin to interact with your audience.
I personally suggest putting a small budget into boosting posts to your fans and their friends to gauge what kind of content sticks.
8. “Is SnapChat worth figuring out?”
If your audience is under the age of 25 and female then yes you should create a SnapChat channel. Below are some relevant links to help you determine if investing in a content marketing strategy on SnapChat is worth it.
5 Ways to Use SnapChat for Business
What Is SnapChat and How Can I Use It for Business
Your Guide To Using SnapChat for Marketing
9. “I have my Facebook page and a crappy website. Where should I put my focus besides Facebook? I have a dessert/food business. Is Instagram or Twitter or another place the right place to be?”
The food business is HUGE on Instagram. You should utilize your Facebook Business Page for pushing content, customer interaction, sales and updates about your business. Your Instagram page should be utilized for displaying and showcasing hi-res images of your work. Overall engage with your audience. Thank them for liking a post and respond to all comments and messages in a timely manner. Check out our 2015 Food Industry News & Trends!
10. “What are the most effective tools and ways to use social media? What are good social media outlets other than Facebook?”
I suggest using a content marketing system such as Hootsuite, Buffer and SproutSocial. Each of these tools is affordable and offers free tutorials on social media marketing. They are great starting points and can help you build a social media calendar.
11. “If I have Facebook, should my business have a separate page?”
YES, build a Facebook Business Page and invite your friends and contacts to like it. It will not only do wonders for your brand but also allow people who are not your friends access to your products/service.
12. “What is the best way to manage two Instagram accounts?”
Instagram still has not developed a multiple login platform yet. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to memorize your passwords and log back in and out. Hootsuite and Buffer have “reminder” capabilities via the app where you can schedule Instagram posts and you’ll receive a push notification to actually post them.
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Questions? Ask Andria, Hey Now! Media digital strategist. Shoot her an email or Tweet your questions to @andriakaplan or @heynowmedia.
