Intellisites, the smart choice for web design

We recommend social media to many of our clients. It’s a great way to discover what your customers want, to interact with them in a place where they are comfortable, to generate search engine rankings, and so much more. But it’s not right for everyone. If you’re not prepared to do it right, it might not be the right strategy for you. Ask yourself these four questions to see if you’re ready for it:

1. Could my business benefit from hearing what people are saying about us? If you already know exactly how people talk about your business, you might not need social media. On the other hand, if you’re not tracking your word of mouth reputation, you may not be able to afford not to participate in social media.
2. Could we benefit from learning more about our target customers? If you think you know exactly what it is that makes your customer tick, maybe you don’t need social media. Maybe your sales are great, and finding more effective or efficient ways to serve your customer just isn’t a priority. ‘Nuff said. Social media might not be in the cards for you.
3. Would it be useful to meet and talk to industry influencers? If you’re the kind of business who leads the pack (y’know, like google), then maybe you don’t need to worry about social media. You influence the influencers, and your business leadership is regarded as the gold standard. That’s great! The connections you can make on social media probably won’t turn into any valuable insight or influence.
4. Are we willing to commit to using social media?  Having a half-hearted social media presence is like having a lousy TV commercial – it can annoy people and do more harm than good. If you set up Facebook and Twitter accounts but don’t have the time to follow up when people ask you questions, you’re going to have some disappointed customers. Should you decide to enter the social media scene, make sure you are prepared to update your pages regularly and interact with customers punctually so your followers and fans feel the love.

You could hire anyone to help your business with Social Media Marketing. And yeah, you could pay someone to get you eleventy-billion Twitter followers in three days. But that kind of sugary, substance free stuff is garbage. If you don’t know how to talk to those followers, what good are they?

What you need to know first are the unwritten rules of social media…rules that separate businesses who have a bunch of Facebook fans from businesses who actually reach a bunch of fans.

1.  Be Transparent. Social Media is built on trust, and there’s no quicker way to lose someone’s trust than to keep secrets. Be open about your business (within limits, of course), and watch as the power of transparency works its magic.  Your fans and followers will feel more connected to your company if they feel like you’re giving them the inside info.
2. Be Passionate.  What do the most world leaders all have in common? They were all passionate about their causes. So if you’re only going to work because it pays the bills, you’re not the person who should be heading your company’s social media initiatives.  If you don’t love your business, how are you going to get your Twitter followers pumped up about it?
3.  Be Enthusiastic. Would you believe me if I told you that the world is full of negative people? They’re so common, most people who are trying to be happy learn to tune them out. But the enthusiastic people are like magnets.  And that’s who you want running your social media.
4.  BE SOCIAL. This is the ultimate “No Duh” piece of advice. It ain’t called ’social’ media for nothing. You gotta get in there and mix it up, talk to some people, answer some questions, ask some of your own, and get to know the world.

The Twitter bandwagon is getting pretty crowded.

Everyone from retirees to tweenage iPhone addicts has joined Twitter to get the play by plays of their friends’ lives.  And from PETCO to Pampers, every company in every industry seems to be tweeting as well.

What?  Your business hasn’t taken the Twitter plunge yet?  Well, now is a great time to make your Twitter debut.

The Power of Twitter

Twitter is all about sharing information.  You share information with your list of “followers” (the people who have agreed to be notified when you post something), and then those people can pass the information on to their followers as well.  If you’ve posted something worth passing along, your information can go out to a pyramid of people in the blink of an eye.

FOR FREE.

From a marketing standpoint, this is amazing.  For zero dollars and zero cents, you can advertise your latest promotion or the big news at your store to a huge audience.

So…What’s the Catch?

Having a free platform and a big audience is an awesome opportunity.  But we all know individuals who have had similar opportunities…and blown them.  After all, every once in awhile, a seedy drunken uncle gets a hold of the microphone at a wedding and gives an impromptu speech that makes the bride hide under the table.  And every so often, a coffee house open mic night turns ugly.

With Twitter, there is a right way to handle the opportunity for all the free advertising, and a not so right way.  Some unwritten rules and protocols are starting to develop on the Twitter scene, and before you jump up on Twitter’s stage, it might be a good idea to get a brief on the dos and don’ts by some Twitter geeks – er – qualified Twitter experts.

So definitely don’t be afraid to get your business involved in Twitter ASAP.  It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s fantastic for marketing.  But to avoid accidentally sharing the fate of drunken Uncle Sketchy … you might want to to have a little chat with a more experienced tweeter before you get started.

Your Website: What it Is and Is Not
I was talking with a travel agent the other day about building him a new website. In an effort to save himself some money, he had pulled his original website completely off the Internet. In a tough economy, he thought it seemed like a logical place to cut costs. But when sales immediately dropped by 10%, he realized his mistake.

You see, a website is not an advertisement like a TV commercial is. It’s not a piece of marketing like a mailer is. A website is the home of your business on the Internet. Having a business without a website is like having a store on a deserted island. It exists, but no one knows about it.

Your website is an absolute necessity, especially when money is tight. It’s the one place your customers can go any time of day or night to be sure you’re still there to serve them. It’s the hub of your online existence, and if you don’t have a website, you’ve already lost sales.

Hard Facts
The best websites are extensions of a company’s brand. They are built to reflect who the company is, and provide a forum for a company to express its vision and message. And before you say that’s “soft thinking” or that websites don’t provide real results, think about my new friend the travel agent. A sudden 10% drop in sales is painfully real, don’t you agree?

Think about this, too: A good website saves you time. Post your business hours, your customer service policies and a list of frequently asked questions, and see how much less time you spend answering the same questions over and over on the phone. The answers are right on your website for anyone to find.

On top of that, a good website increases your customers’ satisfaction. If you build your website in a way that gives people fast, intuitive access to the information they want, they’ll thank you. They might not tell you directly, but they’ll sure tell their friends. And suddenly you’ve got new prospects.

So yes, times are tough. This economy forces all of us to take a long, hard look at our budgets. But don’t cut your website from your budget. It’s the most powerful tool you have, and a link between you and your customers that you cannot afford to cut.

Talk to you next week.