William Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage”. That has never been more true than since social media came along. Free services like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and many others, can help your business become one of the “players” on the global Internet stage.
Of course, not everyone aspires to make their company famous around the world. The good news is that here in Lanark County we have a vibrant local economy and as business owners we can all take advantage of a little local fame by having a strong presence through social media. The result of that is simply this: increased recognition and additional sales for your small business.
For me, learning how to make use of social media has been a natural progression from my 20 years of work in advertising. The Smiths Falls Chamber of Commerce asked me to present a workshop in 2011 to help business owners market their companies effectively using social media. That experience helped me to realize that many small business owners knew they should be using social media to promote their company but didn’t know where to begin.
You’re probably reading this article right now because you’re also wondering how to use social media to build your business. This blog is designed to help you learn more about how to do just that. Here are some of the ways that social media marketing can help your business grow:
- Save money (dollar for dollar, social media can have a bigger impact than traditional advertising)
- Extend your reach (the Internet is a huge audience just waiting to hear your company’s message)
- Nurture a community of loyal fans (there is no better testimonial than hundreds of satisfied customers interacting with your business on a daily basis)
- Support other local businesses by sharing content (networking has never been easier!)
- Support local events and charities (show that you’re engaged with your local community)
- Expand your market (make people from outside of your town or community aware of your company)
- Increase your visibility (get found on Google searches; social media use helps in Search Engine Optimization (SEO))
- Drive traffic back to your website by posting regularly and letting customers and potential customers know what’s happening with your business
- Get customer feedback (fine-tune your business to meet customer needs)
- Create a brand identity through all of the above
Learning how to use social media effectively for your business is a process. The amazing thing about the social media world is that it changes almost daily. That’s why I’m so passionate about this dynamic, constantly-evolving industry; there’s always something new to learn and incredible new ways for small business owners to market their companies come along all the time. It can be difficult for entrepreneurs to keep up with it all. That’s why I started Crummy Media Solutions. I want to help small business owners get the most out of social media and the opportunities and advantages it offers.
Some of my clients have seen great results since I started working with them. Here’s what they had to say when I asked them “has social media changed how you market your business”:
Maria Maloney, The Rideau Winery:
“Social media is a great way to interact with people and introduces new customers to our store. It gives us an opportunity to update what is going on with events and specials. If only everyone were on Facebook, it would be great.”
Angelina Armstrong-Mann, The Iron Angel (fitness):
“Absolutely! Social media is a great resource for local small businesses! Updating my status and my page makes everyone aware of what is going on and where! If only everyone was on Facebook!”
Vickie Dickson, Vickie’s Specialty Shop (retail clothing):
“Social media marketing works well and often for me. Updating my status, adding photos of what’s new, interacting with my customers, has helped form relationships that in turn, convert to dollars in my shop. It’s also neat to see my customers “recognize” each other when they’re in shopping and say “I know you from Facebook!” They’re forming relationships, too. Every week I have customers who come in because of something they saw on Facebook. I use Facebook advertising at prom season for the Ottawa and Kingston areas and it brings a lot of girls in from out of town to buy dresses. I love Social Media!“
Eric Beere, The Vineyard Winery:
“Crummy Media Solutions has been a tremendous help in growing my business in this new world of social media. Google searches used to find my business on page three, thanks to my understanding and use of social media we are now number one on page one.”
Do you have any questions about how to use social media to market more effectively, launch a product or business, or generate more sales? Please comment or visit Crummy Media Solutions on Facebook today!