What It Will Take To Target Your Social Media Audience: 3 Simple Steps

There are a few things that one can do to have a successful campaign with social media communications, one is to target your audience. There are three critical elements that must be in place for a company to be able to target an audience and have an effective target marketing strategy.

1. Placement:
2. Patience  
3. Practice

Placement 

Placement is simply having a social media site from which to post from. Social media marketing content is about building relationship, the same way that traditional customer service is. When a customer comes in with questions, the relationship has a chance to grow. Online, through social media, the very same interaction occurs. A firm must have the social media outlet such as Facebook, where customers can ask these questions. So build a Facebook Fan page, a Twitter Business account, or a YouTube channel for business. Customers are on these social media outlets and businesses should be too. 

Patience

Patience is the other extreme of the above example. In the brick and mortar location a customer will ask a question and walk away without a sale. Typically another customer will walk through the doors and the business has a chance to engage them. The business representative effectively layers the sales presentation through conversation and then closing. Online businesses typically have two different locations for the interaction listed above. Social media outlets for conversations and a business ecommerce website for closing; if a business has a website, all the social media activity drives to the site. This divides the natural progression of the sales conversation. At the brick and mortar location the social conversation of the clerk or salesperson builds the relationship and lays the foundation for trust which leads to a closed sale. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter act as this relationship building and trust laying foundation, then the customer goes to the website to purchase the product. Ecommerce essentially severs the two layers of the sale into different locations. The patience comes is over the aggregate of the campaign. As a social media manager, one must constantly provide a voice for the firm even when it may seem as if it is not directly related to sales.  The sales conversation is driven by the trust building and then the close, not the other way around. 

Practice

Practice is the breakfast of achievers. All great achievers have practice under their belt. If a company wants to achieve greatness on Facebook or Twitter, they must simply block some time out and post several times a day. Once customers respond, they must address them thoroughly and thoughtfully.  If it is not in the marketing plan and marketing objectives to improve your conversation, then the social media development of the firm is in need of change. Companies ask “how are businesses using social networking.” Effective companies are using it the ways prescribe above.  

Target Acquired

A business's best source for what their target audience is online is their current customers who are looking online. Following these three steps will enable a firm to target the social media channels and demographics that will effectively lead to success in social media marketing. 

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Why is Google Plus important for small business?

As I research Google Plus i am really beginning to see the possibilities for Small Businesses. The Social Layer of Google; Google Plus is quickly becoming my social outlet of choice. There are so many ways that Google Plus can help Businesses, three of which I will go over here.

1. Google Plus is tied to SEO. With the advancements of Search plus your world, Google Plus is playing a greater role in search for prospective buyers. If someone within your sphere of influence know someone who is searching for your product, your results will come up with a little tag next to it. The tag is a shaded head and shoulders symbol like this  . (For more information on this see the video)
2. As a business, you will gain authority quickly in your area of expertise. With the addition of authorship, knowledge in your industry will be noted and it this will also affect your SEO.
3. Google plus is for Grown Ups. Of Google Plus users, 26.9% of users earn $30,000- $59,999 and 27.7% earn $60,000-$99,999 per year. Google Plus is where all the household decision makers are.

These three reason are why Small businesses should definitely be on Google Plus. If you could use some organic SEO, want to build authority, and want to communicate with higher earners, Google Plus is the place to be. 

 If you need any help creating a Google plus Page or generating a great marketing campaign, please feel free to contact us at www.yousocialmarketing.com and please follow us on Google Plus here 

What is your dashboard telling you?

As the first quarter of the year comes to a close, it is time for you to check your numbers. What were your goals and how are you doing? Are you right on track, or are you a little behind? In order to reach your goals you first must plan and then track your progress against your plan. Think about it like your car. They plan for a certain lifespan for an automobile and this is similar to your business and personal goals. If you are a little overweight and your goal is to lose five pounds this year eventually this goal’s lifespan will pass. A new goal such as maintaining a certain weight may replace it.

In this sense your business is like an automobile. You have a fuel gauge, a speedometer, an odometer, a heat sensor, and other gauges. In order for your automobile to reach its lifespan these gauges must be checked because it reads what is happening under the hood. The fuel tank is your cash. The speed limit is the rules and regulations that you must abide by in order to keep your business. The odometer is your equipment and skills. The heat sensor is the stress level that one is under when they open a business. There are good days and there are bad days, sometimes we overheat and we need to cool down. Each of these gauges can be measured and have a direct correlation with success in goal achievement.

When we look at cars and your business goals, we need to look at this through three primary vehicles. First there is the entry level of starter car. We have all had these, they teach us what to do, what not to do, where and how to drive, and for some of us we even learn about the law. Second we will look at the midsize economy cars. These are the cars we need when our responsibility increases such as having a baby, or a long commute. The last car that we will explore is the sports car. This car is the one that we all dream of having and often times when we get it we do not know what to do with it. These cars can be viewed through the small business prism. Let me explain.

Entry level

An entry level car is comparable to an entrepreneur opening their first business. These businesses are lean, like having the fuel gauge read a 1/4 tank. They are the place that the entrepreneur spends all their time just like we all did when we got our first car. They are also were we learn about the intricacies of car ownership.  We learn about maintenance, and for some of us we learn how to deal with a flat tire. As small businesses when you take that first step to open and sell your product or service to the outside world there is so much to learn. Your fuel gauge is typically under a half of a tank, usually a quarter or below. The speed in this car can go from fast to slow, similar to when a young person is learning to drive. Small business owners must get a feel for the speed at which they are comfortable with. As the odometer are skills and equipment, sometimes accelerated learning is required (speeding) and other times costly equipment can really set a business back (speeding ticket).  The heat sensor is unique in this car, because small businesses are learning their heat tolerance.  There are several other cars that one purchases after they drive an entry level one, let’s look at the midsize.

The Midsize

The midsize car is one that people purchase when they have a level of responsibility. This is after the initial phase of starting up a business. Your goals are different. When you had an entry level car, your goal was to drive. With this car you actually have a certain level of priority to your life. You want to remain safe, and the car must be reliable. In the business realm, your business has had some clients and they expect a level of customer services, they also expect professionalism.  In this car, your fuel tank is never below a quarter of a tank because you have an established cash flow system. The speed is steady; you are now looking at regulations before you act, because of the new responsibilities. Driving a midsize with your family is similar to this action. Your odometer is the busiest gauge here, because you are reinvesting your earnings in new skills, new equipment and employees.  Your heat gauge has been established in your previous years and you now drive an automobile that does not overheat.

The Sports Car

When we look at a sports car, they have gauges that are not needed on the previous two cars. This is because they have been so fine tuned that they are about one thing: speed. The odometer is not as important because the skills have been developed. The heat sensor within the small business owner has been replaced by employees who take all the heat; we call them sales and HR people. At this point fuel is not a problem either because the company has now hired out people to ensure that cash is flowing.  Speed in this car is growth. The other gauges are the legal, logistical, and other aspects that hinder growth.  When a small business starts out these task are all on one person, now they are delegated and the business is ready to take off.

Where are you?

Each car represents a different aspect of small businesses. If you try to speed like a sports car in an entry level, you will get burned. You will either run out of fuel, get pulled over, or overheat. Sometimes a midsize may go the same speed as a sports car, however if they keep it up they will have troubles too. A sports car may be cautions in some activities; similar to a midsize, but this will reduce the efficiency of the organization.  Each car has a place on the road and in the lifecycle of businesses. For the small business owners, you must make sure that your goals are aligned with your current car. If you are a midsize, what skills are you learning to meet your goals? If you are an entry level remember that you cannot drive like a sports car for long periods of time. Track your experiences in this car so that when you move up the transition is smooth. For the firms that are driving the sports cars, keep an eye on the other gauges that allow for the car to travel at such great speeds.

What car is your business driving? What steps are you taking to improve your car, and how will you move up?  In order to achieve your goals for 1013 you need to check your gauges and see if you are on track. Have you checked your gauges lately?