Few would debate that marketing a business while also running it can be time-challenging. Whether due to financial constraints or a desire to keep operations close, some of us prefer to fly solo on our promotional missions.
Personalised, independent marketing strategies are commonplace. But if time limits mean you haven’t yet entered the social media arena, you could be missing out on a hefty slice of the customer pie.
After exploring and experimenting social media offerings, Walton’s Words is now more appreciative of the benefits of online business campaigns. These are cost-free promotional avenues that help keep your business top-of-mind and forward-moving.
Consistently using social media to market our business, here are five of our learnings that might benefit your online promotions:
1. USE VISUALS: A recent survey revealed that 40% of online readers respond better to visual information rather than plain text.
Try to include images that not only align with your posting, but also help draw readers in. For instance, animal images are particularly appealing on Facebook, while most professional articles you share (e.g. LinkedIn) already include an image.
2. AVOID ENTWINING PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL: If you have both a Facebook personal profile and a business page, it’s best to keep them separate. Most business ‘likers’ don’t want to know where you went for dinner. This could also apply to your Twitter account, depending on your type of followers and your general ‘tweets’.
Some businesses can more easily intertwine business and pleasure, but most of us shouldn’t mix the two. Obviously LinkedIn is mostly for professional purposes.
3. KEEP ON POSTING: Regular, customised postings on your social media platforms will likely improve both your business presence and reputation. Promote yourself as an ‘approachable’ expert in your field.
Daily posting is recommended for Facebook, so keep hold of any great images, sayings or articles you come across for future postings.
Post around three to four times per week on LinkedIn and Twitter, and remember most of these mediums can be ‘linked’ so that posting on one automatically posts to the others.
4. FIND THE RIGHT MATERIALS: An ideal source for social media postings is Google. You can set up Google Alerts so that business relevant articles are automatically sent through.
Google Images is also a great source for pictures to include with your postings.
The social media express is here to stay, so get on board and start promoting your business via the relevant platforms. Not sure where to go from here? Drop us a line or call us here at Walton’s Words – we’d be happy to collaborate with you on your marketing strategies.
