The Local Scoop on Social Media for Business

Social media has become a part of our every day lives. It has especially made a difference in the eyes of the consumer. Consumers use these social media sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, FourSquare and Twitter, to get connected to businesses. Business owners should use mobile marketing to effectively reach a younger customer base.

Many individuals today are attached to their cell phones at all times and as technology improves, these phones continue to perform many more functions than just making calls. Many programs (called apps or applications) rely on geo-location and can tell you where you are and what’s nearby — including businesses. If you’re able to utilize these programs and apps, you can market to a customer when he or she is literally right around the corner. The best part about this type of advertisement? It doesn’t take much time and takes no money to reap the rewards of these programs.

Foursquare is a mobile app with almost 3 million users. It allows you to “check in” at locations which tells other Foursquare users where you are. Many individuals using Foursquare also post their locations to both Twitter and/or Facebook accounts which shows their hundreds of friends that they are visiting your business. What better way to promote your business than word of mouth — free and effective!

Another website that is useful to businesses is Yelp. This website allows users to post reviews of businesses, services, locations and events. Millions of individuals
and potential customers visit Yelp in any given month looking for information
on businesses. Yelp also provides a mobile version of their website with an
interactive map and allows users to “check in” at locations. After “unlocking”
your location, you can offer coupons through Yelp, update your business
information and promote events. 

Facebook — now with over 500 million users worldwide — recently launched Facebook Places as a competitor to Foursquare. Facebook users can “check in” and their location is published on their Facebook page. They can then see which friends have also “checked in.” Similar to Foursquare, a business owner can create a new place or claim a location that already has a profile in Facebook.

Businesses can gain great insight about their consumers through their Facebook page. Take a look at responses and involvement on your page, it’s a great indicator of the depth and to what degree they are reaching their audiences. Interact with your customers often, they appreciate feedback. If they comment on you wall, write a response. Ask questions and respond to and encourage the answers. Share photos of products or customers. People like to see what’s going on and stay "in the know."

When posting to Facebook make sure to keep your audience in mind. What would they like to know and what do they need to know? Are you offering any special deals, rewards or promotions? All comments should be kept positive and sincere. Consider polling your audience with a question of the day or week to keep them engaged and feeling valued. A picture (and video) is worth a thousand words. Try mixing it up by adding pictures and videos with fun, telling captions to reel in your
audience. Make sure to keep the communication light and keep them involved;
don’t talk at your audience.

Adopting a manageable social media strategy can be an inexpensive yet effective way to improve customer relations and spread the word about your business. Word of mouth is the most effective, least expensive way to get word out about your business and increase customer flow. What better way to get your customers talking than with getting them involved with your business via Facebook, Yelp, FourSquare or any other social media program.