Ways To Boost Your Business’s Social Media Presence Right Now

morningcoffee

Morning Coffee with Gab is a weekly feature aimed to inspire and encourage small business owners to get on top of their organization’s marketing game. So before your day gets crazy, grab that cup o’ joe and give this a quick read – we’ll get your day off to a great, motivating start!

 Ways To Boost Your Business’s Social Media Presence Right Now

Use images. People are visual, and if you’re only posting text or links on your social media pages then your audience will surely get bored. There’s no need for you to be a professional graphic designer who can use every Adobe program with your eyes closed, but you should be able to consistently post simple, high quality photos of your products, services, etc. Invest in a decent camera and aim for photos that spotlight your products/services in a setting and background that isn’t overly busy. Want to touch up those photos with a super easy-to-use and free photo editing program? I swear by www.picmonkey.com.

Use the power of storytelling. This is a really effective tool for your social media marketing because it’s a surefire way to persuade people and call them to action. Have you ever been sucked in to watching an entire infomercial on TV because it began with someone’s real-life story – maybe even one you could relate to somehow? That’s why infomercials work – they tell a story. Your job is to tell a story, too – it could be yours or it could be your clients’. If you own a salon, take some before-and-after shots of a client’s hair and ask them for the story behind it. Why did they want this change and why did they hire you to do it? If you own a restaurant, promote your front of house staff by telling their stories (where they went to school, what their favorite dish off the menu is, why they enjoy working there, little-known fact about them, etc.).

Be interactive. This seems like an easy one, but the sad truth is that there are too many businesses out there today that have social media pages (as well as a significant following) that have gone stale because of their lack of engagement. Listen up: If people choose to like/follow you, this means they genuinely want to hear from you. Don’t let them down. Throw out an occasional fun question of the day, survey, etc. and see what your audience has to say. Also majorly important is that if someone asks a question or makes a comment that invites your response, be sure to reply to that person in a timely fashion. In this day and age, there is such a thing as social media etiquette (which we’ll cover in another post) and it should definitely be followed.

Evoke emotion. Any content that evokes emotion from your audience is almost always more likely to generate shares or retweets. So, how do you do this? Tell stories (see above) about your customers that have a happy ending. Infuse a little bit of your personality through each of your posts, and use emotionally-charged, descriptive words. Whatever you write should light a fire in people and ultimately inspire, motivate and entertain them.

Be consistent with your posts. Two to three posts per week is ideal for a small business, but if you really want to step up your game, make it five to seven times per week and see just what happens. Come up with a list of a few creative post ideas, think a little strategically about the kind of response you want, when you should post them each, etc. and then schedule them via a social media management program such as HootSuit, Sprout or Buffer. Not feeling up to it or don’t have the time? Contact us today and we’d be happy as a clam to do this for you.


hayley-gable-bowerman

For the last decade, Hayley has been leaving her mark creatively on small, independently-owned businesses through editorial- and design-based marketing strategies. As a believer in the art of storytelling and the influence of a strong brand, her goal is to unlock the value that all small businesses possess and use it to their advantage using creative, strategic marketing methods.

 

 

Why Your Business Needs Content Marketing

But what is content marketing really? How is it different from traditional marketing methods? It probably doesn’t apply to my business, right?

These are questions we’re asked almost every day, so don’t feel alone if you’re wondering what the definition of content marketing is. Content marketing is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a variety of formats, including news, video, white papers, e-books, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc.

What we’ve found is that most small businesses are creating and sharing content, but they are doing so without any real strategy behind it. In other words, they’re just posting things just to post them. This doesn’t work out well if the business has any specific goal they’re trying to achieve. What makes it successful, however, is determining your strategy and purpose up front, and communicating the right message at the right time using the right platform.

A lot of folks have a difficult time coming up with unique content (just Google or Pinterest it and you will get a crazy ridiculous amount of search results for “blog content ideas” or “marketing content ideas”). The truth is, we all get stuck every once in a while when it comes to digging up new ideas. But let’s start with the very basics here by defining what “content” consists of.

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There is an infinite amount of content marketing ideas that each of these action tools can produce. And guess what? Your business has access to ALL of them. Let me ask you a question: How many of these marketing tools are you taking advantage of right now? Probably not as many as you should be, and I totally understand because it is a lot to keep up with. Each of these are major timesuckers, especially if you want the result to be professional-grade and effective.

But why do you need content marketing?

These days, locally-owned small businesses are having a difficult time keeping up with the franchise next door. What small businesses can do to easily distinguish themselves is offer a personalized service to the community – the kind of service that the big-name box store simply cannot put forward. See, content marketing is a part of the service you offer your customers. And in turn, your customers will see the value in this service and stay loyal to your brand.

To summarize, here is why we are absolutely, completely, totally 100 percent certain your business needs content marketing:

1. You’re an expert in your industry and people need to know it.
You’ve spent years perfecting your trade – so share some of your knowledge while also letting everyone about your business. Write an informative article for your blog, host a webinar or seminar, write a list of answers to frequently asked questions, etc. Before you know it, your website or business will become the first place people visit when they need assistance.

2. Form an emotional connection with your community.
This is easily our favorite reason. People love to read what’s entertaining and exciting, and when businesses are consistent in delivering content that is interesting and attractive, a connection is made with the community. More than likely, that connection – if done effectively – will result in brand loyalty. Voila!

3. Build brand awareness.
So you’ve had your business for quite a while now, but you want to reach even more people than you currently are able to. This is pretty much everyone’s goal all the time, right? Content marketing is a way to build your brand – your reputation – as the number-one guy (or lady!) in your field. The more your business’s name is out there for everyone to see, the more likely it is to result in engagement, leads and conversions.

4. You don’t want to get lost in the clutter.
If you’ve been on the internet anytime in the last decade, you know pretty well that from the moment you sign in to anything there’s information being shoved in your brain at a rate of about 900,000mph. You guys, your business does not want to get lost in this hurricane of information. That’s why it’s so, so, so important to not just post something just to post it, or to send out a newsletter to subscribers without any real strategy behind it. People are sure to hit delete or unsubscribe or ‘x’ out if your content does not offer exciting, valuable, quality information.

whydoesmybusinessneedcontentmarketing

Want to get started putting content marketing to work for your business? Not sure where to start? Contact us today.


 

hayley-gable-bowermanFor the last decade, Hayley has been leaving her mark creatively on small, independently-owned businesses through editorial- and design-based marketing strategies. As a believer in the art of storytelling and the influence of a strong brand, her goal is to unlock the value that all small businesses possess and use it to their advantage using creative, strategic marketing methods.