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i have a business and i want to expand on it to about 5000 more followers, how can I get this done?
i have an auto company and i need more followers but i need help with figuring out how to go about this. Can anyone give me any suggestions? what can I do or give as an award to get more people on my band wagon and it there any other sites that you thing can help me out with this? Thanks for your advise.
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3 Answers
Hi Angelia:
This is an interesting goal: to hit 5,000 followers.
I'm curious about where that number came from. Did a social media consultant tell you it was a magic number to aim for? That's an awful lot of followers for a sole proprietorship to expect, and building a following like that will take a tremendous amount of time and resources away from running other, perhaps more important aspects of your business.
I'm not trying to discourage you; just suggesting that you consider carefully before aiming for a target like that. Fan base alone does not create sales--it's how you interact with fans and the relationships you build with them that bring profits.
Some things to add to your social media to-do list:
1. Make sure your website has been updated with links to your Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and other social media accounts.
2. Create a schedule for tweets and Facebook posts. I'm not clear on the type of business you are running, so it's hard to tell you how often you should post to Facebook or tweet. It can be hard to find that sweet spot where your customers look forward to hearing from you and don't tune you out.
3. All paper that leaves your office should have Twitter, Yelp and Facebook logos and say "find us on ... " This should include business cards, invoices, brochures, fliers and any other paper your business hands customers for any reason.
4. Develop special deals ($3.00 off an oil change, for instance) for customers who check in using social checkin platforms such as FourSquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. FourSquare is the leader in social checkin at the moment.
5. Claim your profile on Yelp and other consumer review websites. Respond positively to negative comments by offering to make the situation right. Never confront a customer in a public forum or use unprofessional language. Some situations you won't be able to fix, but never allow anger to make it worse. Offer Yelp customers deals on products or services.
6. When the sale is complete, ask customers to review your business on Yelp, Facebook and Twitter. Offer money-saving deals to those who do.
7. Create a study plan for social media so you get a better idea of how it works and what your fans want (don't waste my time with tweets and posts about bodily functions, love life or quotes from famous people. Give me something I can use and act on, such as the oil-change special). Suggested sites include Mashable.com and Social Media Examiner. You'll find lots more when you dial into these two.
Best of luck with your social media plan!
Hi Angelina
5,000 seems to be a number pulled from the air, or as Hilary asks, is this a number that someone suggested you aim for, or have you arrived at it via some other way?
The number of people you connect with is important, but more important is the quality of the connections, friends, fans, followers etc you have.
The interactions you’re able to have with the people you connect with is important, and shouldn’t be only about promotion, it should be conversation, tips, tricks and advice.
Putting forward questions to those you connect with, and answering theirs will place you in a position of being an ‘’authority’ in your field of expertise. This will give you more credibility than almost anything else.
I’d also suggest that you don’t have to only talk about your experience in autos; connect with people on other levels as well. People deal with people, they don’t deal with a brand, a business – so being personable, creating and showing your personality online will show you as being human. If you see a subject being discussed online that you have knowledge of, or an interest in; join in.
Again, like Hilary I’d suggest you have your website and email signature updated to show where people can find you online, how the can connect with you; this will help to build the connection base you are looking for. All your collateral should show these places as well.
I suggest to people that they schedule their social media activity around when they are answering emails, this way you are not going to be spending endless hours online; something I’m sure you don’t have. A few updates, questions asked and answered throughout the day will be beneficial.
It is important to have a plan, you have a plan for other areas in your business, so having one for social media is no different.
Best of luck and I look forward to following your progress.
Hi everyone! I know my response is a few months delayed, but I wanted to piggyback on your replies (both which are VERY smartly written, I might add)
To follow up on #4 in Hilary's post... Developing special deals (ex. Free shipping, 15% off your purchase, etc) for customers who check-in to your business is a GREAT way to get social marketing distribution on Facebook and Twitter (64% of consumers have based their purchase decisions on having access to a special deal or coupon code). HOWEVER, FourSquare only works if you are a local business with a physical location. For online businesses and e-commerce websites, Foursquare and other location-based check-in tools, don't translate. To solve this problem, my company created a social marketing product called stopped.at (http:stopped.at)
Stopped.at is, in essence, Foursquare for Online Locations. Users check-in to their favorite websites, earn points for sharing their online location with friends, and use those points to unlock deals from the websites they check-in to the most.
We believe that building your brand in the age of social media is about turning your customers into brand advocates and rewarding them with special deals for promoting your business to their friends. In doing so - you establish a great reputation for being a brand who appreciates their customers AND you increase your overall sales conversation (64% of consumers have based their purchase decision on having a coupon code).
To respond to Graeme's post, I completely agree that the best interactions should go beyond self promotion. It's all about the conversation. Not just what you say to your customers - but what your customers say about you. User generated conversation and peer-to-peer referral is powerful stuff. Over 74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide their purchase decisions. Again (shameless plug disclaimer) but stopped.at is a great tool for creating user generated content and turning your customers into advocates for your brand. Yelp and Quora are also valuable resources for engaging your customers in two-way conversations.
That's all for now! Hope things are going terrific with your business and you've successfully reached your follower goal! Please feel free to contact me directly if you'd like any additional suggestions for getting more people on your band wagon. Always happy to help where I can :) CHEERS!
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