Change does indeed present opportunity and today’s social media driven world is the perfect catalyst to help businesses reach new audiences and meaningfully communicate with existing ones.
There are 480,000 @Facebook users within a 25 mile radius of #McAllen. #socialmedia #marketing
Understandably, though, it can be a bit difficult to keep up with social media trends as they seem to change on a daily basis. From posts to grams, tweets to snaps, there are an overwhelming number of social media marketing tools at your disposal.
Despite the variety of options available to you, there are a few simple guidelines to help your social media presence be as effective as possible.
A Few Points to Make Your Social Media Presence Shine!
Your social media program should support your overall business and marketing goals. If you already have a social media presence, that’s a great start! Now it’s time to look at the results and see what you can do to improve. Chamber Member, Cobalt Digital Marketing, has shared a few of their favorite tips and tricks
- Plan it out!
Your social media presence should have a clear strategy and goals just like any other element of your business. Key things to consider as you create your strategy are:
- Your audience: Know your customer base. Use social media insights and website analytics to determine demographics, age range, interests, language and buying patterns. Identify WHO you are targeting and what social media networks they are on, and when, so you can create targeted messages.
- Your message: What are you trying to accomplish by having a social media program? You may want to improve brand awareness or launch a new product. You may want online sales. Perhaps you want to reach new customers for increased foot traffic. Once you know WHAT you want to accomplish, you can craft content accordingly.
- Your why: The beauty of social media is that you can connect in a direct and personal way with your customers. Be real and let them know WHY you do what you do. Share your strengths, passions and corporate culture to help you to better differentiate your product or service from your competition.
- Make it easy to share your content on social media.
Don’t forget to add social media icons to your website as well as on every blog, video, and photo. This is a simple strategy but one that is often overlooked. The more channels by which your customers can share your business’ content, the better.
- Keep posts fun and visually interesting.
Social networks are a great medium for visual media, be it photos or videos. The more engaging these visuals the more you’ll grab your audience’s attention. Remember – people scroll through a lot of content each day and you need to get them to stop for a moment.
And don’t forget to the keep things light, fun, and valuable. No one wants to be sold to all the time. Keep your fans entertained and informed.
- Be active on your social media account(s).
This means engaging customers and potential clients alike with actual conversation and questions. You’ll also want to answer questions from customers that communicate on your Facebook or Twitter account.
Keep in mind that social media is just like any other social environment where the flow of conversation has to be two-sided.
- Respond quickly.
A follow-up to our fourth tip, it is vital that you respond to questions (or bad reviews) as quickly as possible. Allowing these to linger can be taken as a sign of bad customer service.
78% of people who complain to a brand via Twitter expect a response within an hr (Source: Lithium)
- Consider using online contests.
Contests can be especially beneficial as it offers you the potential to increase your brand visibility while also showcasing your products. You can even offer one-off deals and specials to help drive your business.
- Consider the time you post.
When you post is just as important as what you post. This will vary by platform and audience type. Experiment to see what works best for your fans. Try posting around common lunch and dinner times, as an example, as there is an uptick in user traffic at these times.
- Do what you can and don’t worry about jumping on the latest trend.
Don’t worry about trying to jump on every social media platform or keeping up with the latest trends. Concentrate on reaching your audience on one platform and work toward achieving your goals there.
- Get social with us and let’s grow together.
We are working to build our community’s social media presence. Our newest marketing initiatives utilize not only radio, print, billboards, emails, but also social media to encourage the communities of the South Texas Triangle, Northern Mexico, and the Rio Grande Valley itself to come enjoy all the amazing the amenities McAllen has to offer. Together we can highlight our community’s exciting growth to customers, businesses, and tourists from around the World. We encourage you to be a part of it!
- Like, comment, and share “See you in McAllen” posts and tweets.
- Use #SeeYouInMcAllen on your own business posts and tweets.
- Continue to deliver the warm welcomes and outstanding customer experiences our visitors have always counted on when they come to McAllen!
Your leaders at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the City of McAllen, and McAllen Economic Development Corporation want to see your business continue to succeed and grow.
We want everyone to come shop, play, eat, and stay in McAllen. Visit SeeYouInMcAllen to learn more about our marketing initiatives.