Marketing a Small Business via Social Media
May 26th
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Marketing a small business using social media tools has surged in recent years, with many investing their time into perfecting their Facebook pages or LinkedIn profiles. Another noteworthy resource is Yelp.com , where individuals create an account, find information on a local business, and comment on their experience there. Many small restaurant owners claim that Yelp allows them to reflect on the business strategies already in place and helps generate ideas to expand them. The comments, often a mixture of good and bad, yield more positive than negative results. Reading good reviews boosts morale, while the bad ones give businesses an incentive to improve their tactics.
The first step business owners must take to establish their presence on Yelp is by creating a business profile on biz.yelp.com. It’s a good idea to attach your business profile to another active Yelp profile because it gives visitors the impression that you are an avid participant on the website and that you will be there to see their reviews and keep track of them. In addition, posting discounts, coupons, or promotions is a great way to draw users in. Yelp sends out a weekly email news blast to their users. By incorporating those features into your profile, you have an chance of being included in that newsletter. Your announcements may even appear on the users’ profile pages.
Facebook, which is now the largest social network on the web, is perhaps the quickest and cheapest way to build an online following. Creating Facebook ads is one method, as they appear on the right-hand side of a user’s page once they login. A business can design its own ad, target specific locations or demographics, and control the pricing model — either “pay per click” in which you will be charged per click, or “pay per impressions” in which you will be charged per thousand views of the ad.
Small businesses owners are at a crossroads. This disastrous economy has crippled their companies, leaving them with tight budgets for advertising. So, how can local businesses interact with their customer-base without having to empty their wallets? Luckily, there’s the social network option. So please call us now, for an initial meeting.
