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It never ceases to amaze me that in 2014, we still have people who have not bought into the power of social media.  You hear about it everywhere and everyone’s using it.  And yet, I still come across at least one person a day who either doesn’t get it, or doesn’t want to get it.

Let’s talk about the latter group first.  By choosing not to understand the power of social media and the impact that has on your business, you are virtually telling the millions of people who could potentially be your customers, or the hundreds or thousands who currently are, that you simply don’t care.  Not having a social media strategy in this day and age is akin to not having a customer service phone number, or ad in the Yellow pages ten years ago.  You are inaccessible to your customer, so they are going to go for your products or services.

The former group, the ones who just don’t get it.  Or, even better yet, try to get it, but are overwhelmed by the scope of the whole thing, are my favorite kind of business owners.  Here’s why; I appreciate your eagerness to learn more, and I think with a little bit of guidance, you are going to be on the path to social media success.  I like this group of people because they are willing to listen, eager to learn, and want to know more even if they don’t understand it.  This is the go- getter crowd of the non-social media folks.  If you are in this group, congratulations!  Keep trying to learn more, and hang in there.  Or better yet, team up with someone who can show you the ropes, or hire someone who can do it for you while explaining why it’s being done the way it is, and why it’s important to your business.

What was the business world like prior to social media and online marketing?  Well, it looked a lot like hard work!  Many companies had to spend many valuable hours each day either cold-calling, going door to door, or making sales to customers one on one.  The marketing options at that time consisted of radio, TV, billboards, and yellow page ads.  If you were real savvy, you’d leave your business cards everywhere you went, or post them on the post-it boards at various places around town.  These strategies either only allowed a business to connect with a limited group of people, or were too costly for small businesses.

Consider the landscape today, you have access to the entire world at your fingertips!  The current count at last check was almost 3 billion people online.  Think about having the power to market your business or brand to 3 BILLION people!  The greatest thing about the culture of the web, is the ability to tell your story.  A radio ad may have told folks why they should buy from you, or what you were selling.  It may even have told them your hours of operation, or your location.  But, your average 30 second radio spot could never tell your businesses story.  Who are you? What makes you so great? and why should we support what you’re all about? Now, more than ever, the answer to these questions is more important to consumers than your Free Shipping offer, or Cyber Monday sale.  Consumers want to know who you are. Without social media, a blog, or good website, it isn’t possible to convey that message.

So, if you haven’t created your social media strategy yet, read on.

1. Go where the people are
74% of online adults are using social networking sites
71% of adults online use Facebook
40% of all cell phone owned use social media from their phone
Facebook users are more trusting than others
41% of adult users take photos or videos they have found online and share them on different networks
The average Facebook user shares more from their friend’s post than they themselves post. The original poster is called a “power user”, they contribute much more content than the average user does
This tells us that people are online… Lots of people. You can count on gaining some traction with a specific social media plan targeted to your market. (Source)

2.People do their shopping online
72% of millennials research a purchase online and shop their options online prior to going into a store or mall
Online retail revenue saw a year-over-year growth of 11% for the first quarter of 2014, with a 13% increase in online buying compared to the same quarter last year
Adults over 50 represent the internet’s largest group, making up one-third of the 195.3 million internet users in the US
Online shopping is a world-wide occurrence with global shipping options
Two-thirds of Americans over 50 yrs buy from retailers online
If you are selling a product or service, it would be in your benefit to be one of the sites that are coming up when folks are searching. Your competitors are doing it, and so should you! (Source)

3. Write your own story
Using your social media sites and your web site or blog, you can tell the story of your business. This story helps consumers build an emotional attachment to your company making them more likely to buy from you. Tell your customers what makes you great and what problem you are solving in your industry

4.You must be accessible to potential customers
This week, I had 2 occasions in which I was personally very frustrated with the lack of internet presence and understanding of customer service on behalf of the businesses involved, here’s what that looked like to me;

Situation #1- My young son wanted to go to a salon to get his hair cut, we normally do this at home, but school is about to start and he really wanted the salon experience. We asked our friends on Facebook for a recommendation, and one establishment came in highly recommended. I proceeded to check out their website, but due to it’s lack of mobile compatibility, I couldn’t do it from my iPhone. Most people would have stopped here and moved on! However, my interest was piqued, so I pulled their website up online. It has no content, barely any photos, and was in flash which takes forever to load. There was obviously no awareness or concern for the effect of a great website. Well, out of curiosity we went anyway… We did NOT end up getting my son’s hair cut there however. I will say, the salon was adorable, kid friendly, and super sweet. Something that was NOT portrayed on their web page, and possibly the most important thing they could talk about.. the EXPERIENCE! We ended up going to an old school barber shop in downtown where low and behold, the man working there was talking about the power of advertising on his Facebook page and how that has helped his business. This place was nothing like the cute, adorableness of the previous place, but their desire to succeed really showed!

Situation #2- I am in the market for a gift for my Sister-in-law who is pregnant. She recently mentioned that cleaning is getting harder for her, and with her full-time work schedule, she really needed some help. I again asked my trusty group of Facebook friends for a recommendation. I got several, but one really stood out. She stood out because of the 5 or 6 people that had been tagged in the post, she was the only one to respond to it. She gave me her phone number and Facebook page info. Again, as I always do, I checked out her website. It was pretty awful, but it appeared like she had at least made an effort to set herself apart from the the folks who just don’t care enough to make one. I sent her an inquiry on her website, and let her know to expect it through the Facebook post, and never heard back.
These two events were just this week! It happens all the time though unfortunately. Businesses just aren’t in tune with how busy life is and seem to have an “I’ll get to it later” attitude, or they simply don’t care. I know the salon owner believes people will frequent her establishment regardless of what her website looks like. And, that alone makes me more passionate about spreading the message of the power of social media.
If I was your average consumer, I would have gone back to that post, or to the companies page (if they have one), or even to my own page and told everyone I know what an awful experience the whole situation has been. How do you think that would impact their business? If it’s just me, probably not much, but knowing what we know about social media, if even ten people did that the reach is in the thousands as far as how many people will be exposed to the negative post about that business.
This is easily avoidable by being accessible and attentive to your current and potential customers. If you can’t get back right away, simple send them a message that says, “I haven’t forgotten about you, your comment/question is important to me, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.”…. Then, and here’s the key: DO IT! It’s that simple.

5. Your presence shows people you care
As we addressed in point #4, you being available for your customers shows them you care. Because of the nature of social media, and the fact that you may receive both positive and negative feedback as well as a multitude of questions and general comments either regarding your business directly, or your product or industry, you are showing people you care about them when you are online. This presence creates a slight vulnerability for companies and that vulnerability is what scares many businesses away from being involved in social media. You however, will make a positive out of this, and show people that you are a company that cares about it’s customers and wants to create a great experience for old and new customers alike.

6. You can be as big as you want to be online
It happens everyday, I find a website, blog, or business either just casually scrolling social media feeds, or by searching for something specific. Many of these businesses appear to be much larger than they are. Small mom and pop companies can create the same image and impression as larger companies online. The power of this is in earning people’s trust. If you were an active internet user 10 years ago, you know that it was easy to get defrauded by small, online companies that were set up for the sole purpose of scamming people. Think Ebay and Nigeria to give you an idea of what we are talking about. Because of this, there is still a residual fear of dealing with a company that does not have an active online presence, or can’t be verified to be legitimate. You have about 5 seconds to make an impression online. Make that impression count and show people how amazing you are!

An example:
My brother and sister-in-law own a small, but growing keepsakes business that they run out of their home. They sandblast rocks for headstones, memorials, and the like. They also make customized t-shirts, wedding gifts and keepsakes. They started out with a small Etsy store and a Facebook page (Facebook was the number one place they got orders for quite a while). They’ve grown quite a bit, and have expanded their shop space in the back yard, but still work from home. Because of their large online presence, most people are shocked when they come to pick up their order and realize they work out of their home.
This is what it looks like to make yourself look bigger online.

7.People are asking for recommendations online, they are reviewing online, and buying online.. You need to be online!
As I mentioned in my examples above, I frequently ask online before making any kind of purchase or buying decision, and I am NOT alone!
Almost 60% of online shoppers said they consult review before making a purchase of a consumer electronic and 40% said they would not even buy electronics without seeing reviews of the product first
71% of online shoppers say they are more likely to purchase an item based on online referrals of the product
How many times have you been online and seen a friend or acquaintance ask about a product or service? On my news feeds, it happens daily. Especially moms! Think about that for a minute… You have a new baby, a new puppy, a new car, a new house, you name the item, there are millions of variables and situations that arise that create a need, and if you’ve never dealt with that particular situation before, or you have but weren’t happy with the service you received, or the product, how do you know where to go to find what you need? You ask your friends!

8.Make it easy for people to tag you
Following up on the last point, if someone is recommending, or bragging about your business, you want them to be able to quickly and easily tag you in the post. This allows the person who wants to know more about you easily find you online. The alternative is them leaving the site they are on and going to a search engine to look you up. Although this is fine, it can be time consuming and most people will NOT make the extra step. Especially if they are on a mobile device.

9.Social Media Marketing is not intrusive as opposed to direct mail, door to door and sales call
Imagine this; you’ve had a long-hard day, and you finally took a much deserved day off. You sit down with your coffee in one hand, and your computer in the other. As you snuggle in and start to catch up on what everyone’s doing online, your doorbell rings. It’s the carpet cleaning guy for the 3rd time this week. You have to stop what you’re doing and get up to engage in what will likely become an awkward encounter for both of you. No one enjoys sales people at their door, and most people who do end up making a purchase do it out of guilt, or pressure. They just want the sales person to go away. This is invasive and uncomfortable. Similar arguments can be made for direct mail and sales calls. Who get’s excited to get more junk mail, or talk to someone trying to sell them something? Social media marketing, content marketing in particular is about telling a story, creating an experience, and following up with your customers in a very personal yet un-intrusive way. We are not invading people’s online space, we’re joining in on the conversation. This strategy and availability changes the whole conversation around sales and creates a comfortable environment for both business and consumer. This approach to sales, although seemingly passive, is very affective.

10. Customers can reach you at their convenience
42% of households in the US are two income households, while the average American full-time employee works 1,700 hours per year. Add to this longer commute times in larger cities, and the general chaos of everyday life. People are busy! What this means for business, is the regular 9-5 hours of operation don’t work anymore. Customers need access to you 24/7 wether it be by email, phone, or social media. The convenience and access this offers your customers is what will set you apart from the competitors.

11.With email, you can respond right away and on-the-go
Email has made online access easier than ever. Web inquiries, social media posts and emails themselves can all be accessed and responded to via a smart phone. Even if you don’t have the time at that exact moment to deal with the situation, you can quickly respond that you’ll get back to them ASAP. Many companies, even today, do not quickly respond to customers. In the 1-3 days it takes them to get back to a potential or existing customer, those customers have already moved on to someone who responded more quickly. Consumers have short attention spans and are leading busier lives than ever. Because of this, there is generally a narrow window for them to focus on any given task, if this task is to get ahold of a business, they will move on quickly if they feel like they haven’t been listened to or responded to appropriately. Not only will they move on, chances are they’ll tell all of their online followers too.

12.Social Media is making it easier than ever for people to talk about brands and products they love, or rant about the ones they don’t
We’ve covered this quite a bit in the previous points, but it’s important to repeat. If you’re not online, or on the social media sites your customers are on, you don’t know what they’re saying about you. This knowledge is power. 1. it allows you to change your message, services, business model. 2. It gives you access to people who may not have been happy with their experience, and it gives you the opportunity to make it right in a public space. Believe it or not, people are more likely to purchase from a business that has poor reviews, but responded appropriately to them, than a company that has no reviews at all. It’s kind of like credit, you can have bad credit and still get a loan, but no credit and you’re doomed. This is because people are creatures of comfort, and we like to know what to expect. We can’t do that if there’s no information to form an opinion.

13. It allows you to take control of your customers and win them back if there’s been a negative event or situation
If a customer goes to social media or review sites to rant about the poor service they feel they received, you have the power to take control of the situation and respond in a positive way. You don’t have to give away the farm,just simply respond to their concerns in a positive manner that tells them and other people who will see the interaction later, that you care and you are pro-active in dealing with dissatisfied customers. This brand management strategy of finding out what people are saying about you then responding and following up is the single most powerful thing any business can do to manage their online image. People sometimes use the internet as their personal venting space, circumvent the damage that could potentially be caused to your business by responding to it, and showing that you are indeed listening.

14. You are not only reaching out to one customer when you have had a bad review, you are showing every other person who reads that, that you are an exceptional business
Although you are responding to individual reviews or comments online, you are actually creating a far-reaching affect on your business. By responding to customers online, you are preemptively answering questions future customers may have, but either won’t take the time to ask, or didn’t realize was an important question. The other thing your interactions tell people who see them, is you are proactive about your customer’s experiences, you care, and you will follow-up. This creates trust for your potential customers and it makes it easy to predict how you will respond if they were to have an issue with your product or service.

15. We are an in an instant society, and you need to keep up to be long-term successful
Our society is becoming more and more of an instant gratification society. This will only become more prevalent in the future. Because of our busy on-the-go lifestyles, we need instant and constant contact with everything. This means businesses need to be available, quick to respond, and attentive to our needs. If you are not currently online, or don’t already have a social media marketing strategy, you need to get with it quickly. It will only get harder in the future to maintain a business without the use of social media.

What now?

Now that you have some information under your belt, you need to sit down and think about your industry and business goals. Create a strategy for your online marketing and content that you think will be both impactful and relevant. Do some research about the various social media and review sites to find what will be the best fit for your company. If it seems like too much, check out our services page for more information on how we can help you be successful on the web.