Creative Commons License photo credit: alexliivet

The best social media marketing tips help establish lasting relationships between your business and your targeted market. There are two ways to use social media marketing to increase customer loyalty and ensure your business a customer for life: engagement and appreciation.

Making a habit of engaging with your customers and targeted market on sites such as Twitter or Facebook personalizes your business and gives your company a more relatable feel. When a current or potential customer knows they can reach out to you and receive a human response, a feeling of investment in the relationship is created. Rather than stewing about problems they may have had, a customer you interact with through social media is likely to comment on your company blog or direct message you on Twitter to make you aware of the issue, giving you an opportunity to really shine in offering a solution.

Once you have made a habit of engaging with your customers and clients, take advantage of the easy connection offered by social media marketing to offer targeted sales, products and special deals to your social media communities. You can select five random followers a month to receive a special coupon code, or offer “secret” sales just for Twitter followers. A customer who is invested in their relationship with your company, as well as one with a feeling that their business is truly appreciated, is likely to be a customer for life, no matter what competition moves into the neighborhood.

But, my biggest gripe with the RT button was the fact that using the button meant that I wasn’t allowed to add my personal comment before the RT, explaining why I thought it was worthy of my time and endorsement.

Well, today I need not ponder the issue any further. I logged on early this morning to find the button gone. My first and only tweet thus far today:

I guess it’s back to the old way of ReTweeting.  I really won’t miss it. And you?

2. You’ll save money on advertising costs. If you pay to post your job openings in the newspaper like “you’ve always done it” and it makes you feel better, than don’t post them for free on Twitter. Its reach isn’t near as limited as your local newspaper.

3. Your leisurely search in Google will be replaced with a knowledgeable human being. If you feel you’ve done your duty and finally learned to Google your questions, then stick with that. Spend your time sifting through results produced by a machine that has no clue how to LOL.

4. People will be overly friendly and helpful.Recluses who enjoy their polished anti-social behaviors should definitely avoid Twitter. They could become utterly overwhelmed by the everyday thoughtfulness of tweeps.

5. You’ll hear what people are saying about your company or brand. If you’re a business owner afraid of what might be said about you or your company, Twitter can be a scary place. People frequently toss around thoughts and feedback about their favorite brands, giving ample opportunities for those who aren’t afraid of Twitter to win their loyalty.

6. You’ll feel obliged to help people. Darn it! Twitter starts to rub off on the seemingly innocent people going about their selfish lives. You might be inclined to help someone on Twitter.

7. You’re going to find out what you never knew you were missing. This is the main reason Twitter is bad. From breaking news to philanthropy efforts to make our world a better place, Twitter loyalists feel compelled to share human interest stories.

8. You’ll be overwhelmed with how small of world we live in.Gain a few followers, start a few conversations, and you’ll be surprised that there are other people from all over the world with whom you have much in common. Venture toward Twitter too long, and you might get invited to a TweetUp.

9. You might partake in too much “Twittering”. Watch famous people try to assimilate and look intelligent, and you’ll hear them use ridiculous words like “Twittering”. Join Twitter and find out why that word is obnoxious.

10. You won’t get to wait until the 10pm news to find out what’s going on. If you look forward to learning about your local and world events on the nightly news; news stories that are selected and censored by the media, then by all means stay away from Twitter. It’s a cesspool of current events.

Need even more reasons?  Follow me on Twitter.  www.twitter.com/confessionsmom or Steve at www.twitter.com/stevegasser

How I am using it

HootSuite allows me to monitor a lot of information in one browser window:

1. Both of my Twitter accounts
2. My Facebook page
3. My Facebook fan page
4. My LinkedIn network
5. Personalized Twitter searches so I can see when certain words are Tweeted
6. Twitter lists so I can monitor conversations of specific ‘Tweeters”

More than just monitoring

1. Save Time:  With HootSuite I can type one message and have it appear on all on my social networks
2. Keep it short:  Twitters 140 character limit is hard to stay within when you copy long website urls.  HootSuite will shrink those urls with a click on the mouse.
3. Timely:  Do you have information that needs to be provided on a particular day?  at a particular time?  Use the scheduling feature to schedule when you posts will be made on your various social networks.
4. Statistics:  HootSuite provides you with statistics on how many time your links were clicked on.  I have used bit.ly before to do this ( I still love bit.ly!)  But it is so convenient to have the tracking within HootSuite.
5. There is a lot more HootSuite can do, but those are the highlights that I am using right now.

Choice

There are other tools like this available, but HootSuite is quickly become my tool of choice.  Here are a few other tools to consider that I am using:

1. www.TweetDeck.com
2. www.Seesmic.com

What are you using?

What tools to you using to build stronger relationships, monitor your brand, or increase the effectiveness of your communications?

Beware, my Twitter strategy is a little peculiar.

Ditch Business: I started on Twitter simply to learn about it before trying to use it for any business motives. I have been on Twitter actively for a year, and have yet to “do business” using it. That is not to say that I haven’t had great business opportunities and leads find me. I have! BUT-I have not focused on using Twitter for a business purpose and this strategy has served me well. I have healthy Twitter habits now based on “relationships”, not “selling”. I believe this is the correct way to use Twitter anyway.

How has it served me well not to focus on ANY “business goal” using Twitter?

Learn for a Year: I have used the time to learn about Twitter, build relationships, strengthen processes, read, write, and learn some more. The result is that I have a fantastic grasp of how to properly use Twitter, I’m familiar with Twitter applications, I have met some key people, and according to some corporate PR reps, I’m ”a well-established and active online participant”. When I made a comment recently about being “Minnesota Nice” and “a good listener”, another mom blogger pointed out to a dozen other moms to “watch out for her; she’s the most deadly.” This was the best compliment I received in a long while; the absolute power I have in being a good listener.

Become a Trusted Resource: Being a trusted resource for people is very important. After all, the point of social networking is to grow my relationships with people I may want to do business with in the future, ask for advice, and trust with my reputation. I’ve volunteered my time helping people, published guest articles for people, drove targeted traffic on behalf of others, wrote subject matter expert articles for other people who asked me, coached moms bloggers through technical questions and more.

The Result?

Target Market Followers:I have thousands of Twitter followers in my niche target market; tech savvy mothers who embrace small business, love social marketing, and are committed to finding joy in what they do. Of course, this has come at a small price. I don’t allow myself to follow many people outside of my target market. It would be fun to read tweets from the stars or get caught up in political tweets, but I remain focused on building the relationships that count. Not having anything to “sell” has really helped me quickly establish followers and grow relationships that may have been thwarted by a profile with a hint of ulterior motive.

No Missed Opportunities: I can focus my time on getting the right followers and providing humorous, creative, and helpful tweets to those who follow me. I can also focus my time on answering EVERY @reply tweet I get. I sort carefully through my direct messages for any that are personal. I recently was extended an opportunity via DM to interview a Hollywood movie director, and later an actor. I followed up on a DM to see what it was about, and it has resulted in a fun, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Life experiences make us better at what we do, and I view Twitter as a gateway to great life experiences.

I am not shy to admit that I use and love Twitter. I try to be patient with those who don’t get it yet. I view every hesitant question about Twitter as an opportunity to educate people and help them understand the possibilities coming our way; one tweet at a time!

PRESENTER’S DIRECTIONS

Amount of time needed:  20 – 30 minutes

Divide participants into 3-5 small groups.

Give each small group a scenario page and a pack of “tool/activity” cards. Each card has an amount of points labeled at the bottom; this signifies how much needs to be invested (time, money, etc.) in the tool/activity (the maximum amount of points they can use is 10).

Each small group should complete the scenario page and be prepared to report back to the large group. Give them 5 minutes to discuss, fill out the scenario page and prepare to report back.

Have each group report back.   Set a 2-minute time limit for each group.

Once all the groups have reported back ask a number of the following discussion questions to the entire group – as time permits.

1. How did your small group discussions go?
2. How hard or easy was it to decide on which tools/activities to use? Why?
3. What did you think of the choices or rational of any of the groups?
4. What did you learn from this activity?

Various Scenarios

• Raising Awareness
• Fundraising
• Event Promotion
• Advocacy
• Thought Leadership

Social Media Card Deck

• Social Media Card Deck

Additional material from the Convening can be found on the Resilient Organizations Fund website.

• Home Page:  http://www.resilientnonprofits.org/
• Materials:  http://www.resilientnonprofits.org/materials/
• About the Convening:  http://www.resilientnonprofits.org/convenings/

Have you have every wondered:  “why bother with social media?”  Great stats  – some very surprising.   Welcome to the revolution.

Twitter is free and open to everyone. Therefore once you have an open account, everyone is free to follow you. Yet, the more people who follow you, the more beneficial it is to you. Depending on your goals for Twitter, having a large following is critical. Write a creative Bio, start following people in your target market, get involved in conversations, be helpful, and watch your followers grow. Don’t let this “lack of control” over who your followers are worry you. Yet, this is the #1 worry I get when talking to people.

Some people feel the content of what people are tweeting can adversely affect their product image or business. The answer is yes, it can. BUT people are going to tweet about their opinions, successes, and frustrations whether you are active on Twitter or not. Therefore, using Twitter to listen to customers, monitor conversations about competitor products or offer insightful comments can be very helpful to damage control and gaining a healthy grasp on what people need and want in products and services. There is ample opportunity to be active on Twitter to develop relationships with key people interested in what you have to say and sell.

There is a wonderful, yet complete lack of control over what and who gets Retweeted (RT) on Twitter. You can ask to be RT’d, but you can’t make anyone. Therefore, you are responsible for writing tweets that peek interest and stimulate emotions that will end up going viral through followers who feel compelled to RT what you have to say. It’s a wonderful way to reach new people and get the word out about something for which you are passionate. You’ll be surprised what grabs people’s attention and gets retweeted.

And of course, you have no control over what Google decides to grab from Twitter and display in its search results. Yet, Google seems to really like social networking content. Therefore, use this new found method of reaching people via Google to communicate, market, and meet new people. Whether someone walks in your front door, tweets with you on Twitter, or finds you via a Google search, your relationship with him/her is priceless. Don’t be afraid of your lack of control using Twitter. Embrace the possibilities.

Find your community

Look for Twitter hashtags, forums, Facebook groups or other social networks targeted at your local area. They are out there. Join up and start participating.   Look for opportunities to jump in to solve a problem or offer assistance. Establish yourself or business as a valuable contributor to the community, and that means not always promoting yourself.

Find their needs

It’s a rare situation that someone will walk into your store or office off the streets and say “You know, I would shop here if you offered A, B or C,” or “I sure wish there was a place that did X, Y, and Z,” providing you with the opportunity to offer solutions.   However, chatter is much more free on the Internet and over social media. Look not only for opportunities to present your own company as a solution, but look also for problems that do not yet seem to have a solution.   Figure out how your company can fill the need.

Find their loyalty

What is it going to take to turn social media followers into loyal customers who will recommend you to others? Excellent customer service?  Be sure to reply directly to any comments about your company, positive or negative, publicly over social media.  Deals and savings? Offer special sales and coupons to your followers on Twitter or fans on Facebook.   Any number of techniques can be used to create loyal customers.   Find out what it is that produces a positive experience and latch on.

On a side note – if you have not read the book yet, you must read “Creating Customer Evangelists” by Ben McConnell (@benmcconnell) and Jackie Huba (@jackiehuba.)

Social Media is for You

Social media marketing tips abound, and they’re not just for big brands and expansive companies.   The social media marketing tips above are an excellent start for establishing a community, a solution and a loyal customer base around your local small business.

Consider the example of a small, locally owned coffee shop competing with a newly installed Starbucks. Here are a few quirky tips using social media for small business to make the local coffee shop seem like a much more interesting option than the popular chain.

• Offer free wifi and let customers Twitter their orders. Imagine it. Customers come into the shop to chat or work, and from their phones and laptops, can place orders without worry of losing their seat or disturbing the conversation. Regular customers stopping in on their way to work can Twitter their order before arrival and have it ready to go when they get there. Social media for small business offers convenience that the big chains simply can’t.
• Run a coffee shop blog and allow visitors to contribute. Set up a free blog with a guest account. Services like WordPress allow you to moderate posts before they go live. Encourage your patrons to post about the coffee shop, compose poems, or simply express themselves freely.
• Put a “secret password” up on Twitter every afternoon and encourage people to come in for a coffee happy hour. Those with the password can receive discounts, a free pastry or an entry into a happy hour drawing.
• Feature your favorite tweet of the day up on your menu board. Name a drink after one of your Twitter followers for the day. Enter each of your Twitter followers into a drawing to be the “Follower of the Week,” entitling them to one free coffee each day of their reign.

These are just a few quirky and creative ways social media for small business can be used to set the local guys ahead of the big brand players. These types of ideas can be applied to any type of local business. Take your time to think up a few ways that social media will allow you to offer benefits and services to your customers that the big guys can’t.

Caffeinated Conversations

Do you visit coffee shops as regularly as I do?  I think you will enjoy learning more about “Caffeinated Conversations.”  I met Jason from Caffinated Conversations on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and I have found his blog fascinating.   Striking up, facilitating, capturing, and collecting conversations at coffee shops, coffee houses, cafés, and other conversation friendly places.