#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business Series (1 of 15) + #Chatbots
Michael Shew, Business Coaching Expert
President @ Small Business Advisor.INFO, LLC | Expert in Business Management Coaching
May 18, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your $Business (1 of 15)
There are now 4.2 billion active social media users according to https://hootsuite.com almost twice as many as there were just five years ago. Those users spend an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes on social channels every single day.
That means you can:
Build Brand Awareness, Develop Customer Relationships, & Even Make Sales Directly Within Social Platforms.
Here are all the social media tips you need to market your business in 2021.
Start with a plan, decide which platforms are right for you, know your audience, expand your audience, build relationships, pay attention to trends, sell your stuff with social commerce, mix up your formats, focus on quality over quantity, use the right tools, use scheduling and automation to free up more time for engagement, track and refine your performance.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 19, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (2 of 15)
#Start with a plan
It is easy to get started using social media for business purposes. We all use social media in our day-to-day lives, so there is a level of comfort with the tools.
It does not cost anything to create a Facebook Page for your business, or start posting on Instagram, or create a presence on Twitter. Without a plan, you have no clear goal for what you are trying to achieve. That means there is no way to know if you are getting a return on that investment.
Set social media goals and objectives, research the competition, conduct a social media audit, get inspired, create a social media calendar, decide which platforms are right for you, & know your audience.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 20, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6801088261700882432-MPrV
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (3 of 15)
#Decide which Platforms are Right for Your #Business
Do not make assumptions about where your audience spends their time online.
Your instinct might tell you that if you are targeting Gen Z, you should skip Facebook and focus on Instagram and TikTok. But the data shows that nearly a quarter of Facebook users are aged 18 to 24. If you are selling to baby boomers, social might not seem like a top priority. But it should be. Facebook and Pinterest are the top social networks for boomers. Adults over age 65 are Facebook’s fastest-growing audience segment.
To make sure you are using social media for business effectively, you’ll need to conduct some research of your own. This will help you to understand how your specific audience spends their time online.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 21, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6801461402876948481-QfAz
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (4 of 15)
#Know your #Audience
One reason using social media for business is so effective is that you can micro-target your audience. First, you need to understand who your audience is. Start by compiling data on your current customers. Then, dig deeper with social media analytics. You will soon start to understand who’s buying from and interacting with you online.
Hootsuite Insights Powered by Brandwatch for example can help you uncover detailed information like the top hashtags, referral sites, and even specific social authors for terms relevant to your business.
Once you’ve defined your audience, you can create buyer personas, which will help you understand the best ways to speak to your audience. Hootsuite.com has a free buyer persona template to help you get started.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 22, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (5 of 15)
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6801841664408322048-Nks0
#Expand your #Audience
Once you have a clear picture of who your audience is, It is time to look for ways to reach more people just like them. For example, when lockdown measures meant more people were looking for ways to fill their time at home, the “Great Courses Plus” switched up its Facebook advertising strategy to expand its audience quickly.
They created an extended free trial offer and advertised it to a broad audience in the United States. They then used lookalike audiences to reach new audiences in Canada, the UK, and Australia who were like their best existing customers. This expanded audience strategy saw a more than 10 times increase in total average monthly subscriptions generated. You can also use social media to expand the audience for your local business.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 23, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6802358879209578496-wgGN
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (6 of 15)
#Build #Relationships
You can build relationships over time, rather than asking for a sale upfront. More than 44% of internet users use social networks to research brands. Part of that discovery is getting to know who you are as a brand and what you stand for.
When people engage with your organic content or ads, it’s a great idea to engage back. This helps to build trust and form a loyal following. As fans share and like your content, you rise in the social algorithms and gain new, free, exposure.
In Hootsuite’s Social Transformation survey, 69% of respondents said social media helped maintain customer relationships during the very different marketing era of COVID-19. And Twitter data shows 70% of people say it’s important for bands to help boost positivity right now.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 24, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6802550228605124608-amMe
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (7 of 15)
Create a #Facebook #Group
#Facebook #Groups are another great way to build community and brand loyalty.
For example, the New York Times Podcast Club Facebook Group is “a book club for podcasts.” With more than 37,000 members, the group establishes the NYT as a go-to source for information beyond breaking news. It also motivates members to listen to the selected podcasts each week, helping to prevent listener drop-off.
Connect with other entrepreneurs and influencers in your niche. Think your business is too small to work with influencers? Micro-influencers and nano-influencers with as few as 1,000 dedicated followers can be effective for establishing brand trust. As a bonus, they are often well within the budget range of smaller brands.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 25, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (8 of 15)
#Mention #Followers in your #Posts and #Stories
Collecting user-generated content through contests and branded hashtags is a great way to source quality material for your social feed. UGC is also a powerful source of social proof. Even better, sharing your followers’ content on your social channels (and tagging them, of course), helps you establish relationships with some of your biggest fans. If a fan tags you in an Instagram Story, you’ll get a notification in your direct messages.
Be sure to reshare it is an easy win-win. Use the social platforms’ built-in interactive tools. From Twitter polls to interactive stickers in Instagram Stories, there are plenty of ways to spark specific interactions with your followers.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 26, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (9 of15)
Pay Attention to #Trends
We’re not saying you should leap on every meme (idea) that goes viral. (Please do not leap on every meme that goes viral.) It is a good idea to pay attention to trends in social media, so you understand what people are looking for when they sign into their social channels. This helps you create appropriate content that resonates over time.
State Farm Insurance has an ongoing Pinterest campaign that provides informative content tied to major life changes like buying a car or having a child. Since these moments tend to impact insurance needs, it is an obvious fit that has helped the insurance giant connect with millennials and Gen X.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 27, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (10 of 15)
Top Five Reasons People Use #Social #Media Now:
To stay up-to-date with news and current events, to find funny or entertaining content, to fill up spare time, to stay in touch with friends, & to share photos or videos with others.
Always keep your audience’s current needs in mind. What worked last year might not work today.
Social listening is a highly valuable information gathering tool, helping you understand what your audience (and potential audience) might want to hear from your brand. That is one reason why two-thirds of respondents to the Hootsuite Social Media Trends survey said social listening increased in value in 2020.
Hootsuite.com created a whole guide on how to use social listening for your business.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 28, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (11 of 15)
Sell Your #Products With #Social #Commerce
Social media marketing has evolved in recent years to include social commerce: the ability to sell your products directly from social channels. And business is booming, with a global market value of $89.4 billion in 2020. By June 2020, 18.3% of U.S. adults had made a purchase via Facebook, and another 11.1% via Instagram.
You can now use social shopping tools to sell your products and services even without a website. Hootsuite.com or Hubspot.com both are social media dashboards that break down all the details in individual posts explaining how to use Instagram Shopping, how to sell with Facebook Shops, and the best ways to use Instagram Live Shopping. Both dashboards post once to all of your social media channels to save time and track your progress. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn.com, & YouTube.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 29, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (12 of 15)
#Mix up your #Formats
Make sure to switch up your social post formats. If you usually post GIFs, try a JPG. If you normally post still images, try a video. And take advantage of all the formats within each social network, like Stories, or Reels, or Live video. For one thing, this helps you learn which formats work best for different types of content (more on that below) and for different social networks.
The conventional wisdom is that posts with images always fare better. But Hootsuite recently ran an experiment in which plain text Tweets outperformed those with an image or GIF. This was not true a couple of years ago, and Hootsuite would never have made this discovery if every Tweet contained an image.
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/content-marketing-formats-1024x1024.png
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 30, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6804787173083222016-ULQK
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (13 of 15)
Focus on Quality over Quantity
The sheer number of social media marketing options for businesses might seem overwhelming and you do not need to do it all. It is more important to create quality content on a couple of key channels than it is to have a presence on every single network. Be sure that your social posts offer value. If all you do is pitch and sell, there’s very little motivation for people to follow you. Remember, social marketing is about building relationships. Be human. Be honest. Post great content. This is important, and you cannot fake it.
Reach out to your audience in the places where they are already spending time online. Focus on using one or two social channels. Once you have got those mastered, you can build from what you’ve learned and expand your efforts.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
May 31, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_soical-media-grow-activity-6805130294811869184-4zxk
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (14 of 15)
Use the #Right #Tools
The secret to using social media effectively is to take advantage of tools that automate or simplify much of the work.
Engagement management - social media is not a broadcasting system it’s a way to engage with customers and fans.
Analytics - Getting all your analytics data in one place can help you get a better picture of your social efforts overall.
Graphics - If you are having trouble creating eye-catching images for your posts, turn to tools that will help get the job done.
Content curation - It can be a struggle to come up with new content to share every day. Content curation can help. It is the art of sharing quality posts from others (with credit, of course).
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
June 1, 2021
#Soical #Media to #Grow Your #Business (15 of 15)
Use #Scheduling and #Automation to Free Up More Time for #Engagement
We talked about creating a social content calendar way back at the beginning of this series. Once you have that calendar in place, you can create your social posts in advance and use scheduling tools like Hootsuite to post them automatically at the right time.
This allows you to dedicate one block of time per day or even per week to creating your social content. It is much more effective than letting social posting take you away from other tasks throughout the day. Automation tools like chatbots can also help you cut down on the number of hours you spend working on social media marketing.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano
June 2, 2021
https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mikeshewkc_redirect-notice-activity-6805818223989264384-ARsO
#Social #Media #Chatbots
Chatbots are programs built to automatically engage with received messages. Chatbots can be programmed to respond the same way each time, to respond differently to messages containing certain keywords, and even to use machine learning to adapt their responses to fit the situation.
And there are also business bots for satisfying customers. Facebook recently released a host of data proving the value of bots for business:
2 billion messages are sent between people and businesses monthly.
56% of people would rather message than call customer service.
53% of people are more likely to shop with businesses they can message.
Data from Google Trends shows over the last five years, search volume around “chatbots” grew 19x as individuals and businesses began to realize their value.
Girard Equipment, Inc. is a Full Engineering-Product Development, Foundry, Machine Shop, Electropolish, Powder Coating, & Assembly plant! You need it; we design and make it.
www.girardequip.com
Call John Brennan 800-536-4330 Ext. 1021 for sales quotes. Let John know you saw Mike Shew's post (Quality Manager) on LinkedIn.
#timgirard #mikeshew #craigmarturano