If you caught King of the Hill on Sunday night you had lesson in Social Marketing and you didn’t even know it. In the episode called “Lost in Myspace” Hank Hill was upset that one of his long time customers started purchasing his propane from Hank’s competitor solely based on the relationship the customer had with the other propane company through Myspace. When Hank told his employer of the situation his boss pulled out all stops to get Strickland Propane on Myspace with the help of the company’s secretary.
What happens next was what happens to most businesses that go into Social Networks. The secretary loads the company’s Myspace page up with rank photos, videos and examples human behavior that doesn’t portray professional image. While there may be a need for beer pong videos somewhere on the Internet. It shouldn’t be on business page, unless that’s the core demographic you’re going after. The end of the story the site was corrected to show a proper business atmosphere only after making all the wrong moves.
Many companies use Twitter, Myspace, Facebook and other social media without a roadmap or goals for venture. All that businesses see is the possibility of adding new customers. Just signing up with a social network, then adding some photos, videos and a few links is not going to win any long term relationships with new customers. If a business was only wanting to list it’s hours of operation, service and products and offer nothing more they should just stay with brochure website.
People use these networks to communicate and interact with each other. A business needs to understand this. When you start out a social media website as a marketing channel have someone on point handle the customers online. They will be managing your social network marketing their duty is just as important as the managers at the front of the store. They will need to know how to respond to any questions about your services and products. Your online ambassadors should be able to know how you want to handle all the customer service situations and your company policies on customer service.
Here is just a short list of seven things you want to keep in mind in using social media:
Engage Them
Customers will be looking to add you as an online. friend, accept them and send a quick message to thank them for opportunity. Don’t just wait them to come you. Search for members in your area or area of service and try to invite them first.
Add Value
Everyone wants something more for their money. Create a special for your online friends and acquaintances. The customers that use these offers can help spread the news about the quality and value you offer.
Inform Them
Sit down and start writing down the things your customers tell they did not know about your business until they heard from you. Take that information and post on the social media your using. Never assume that everyone knows everything you offer. If you offer it you need to have it in writing online.
Show them you are the expert in your field
Create instructions for your most popular products and services then put them online. This can save you and your staff’s time by not having to provide this information over and over again. Don’t just stop with your most requested items, try to over instructions for everything you have. You be saving man hours in the long run.
Earn their trust
You can’t start out with everyone’s trust, you have got prove to them that you deserve it. Take every e-mail, message, tweet and chat seriously. This customer has came to you for answers. Timely replies go a long way towards making you a trusted authority. Follow through on things you commit to online.
Learn from them
When a customer poses a question on the social networks for a service or product you don’t offer consider offering it. Fortune 500 companies spend millions of dollars a year on market research to find new opportunities to expand their business. You got the same information for free. What the customer might be natural fit for your business.
Set Goals
It can not be set enough that you need to know what you’re wanting to get out of social marketing before you start. Are you wanting to gain 10 new customers? Increase sells by 30%? Keep your customers from leaving you for a competitor. Take those goals, find the thresholds you want to pass through and work to help the online customers make it to your goal. Each month look at where you are with those goals and readjust to get to where you want to go.
