If you look at the average Spartanburg social media account for local businesses, you’ll likely see some basic contact information, links to recent promotions, and maybe a photo or two. Other than that, it’s simply a sad, boring page without too much going on.
And when you really think about it, that’s not being very social at all. In fact, most of us would consider that anti-social.
Now, as a small business owner or entrepreneur, it may not make a whole lot of sense for you to place countless hours in building up a great social media profile and embracing residents in Spartanburg and Greenville, but that’s because you really don’t understand how social media works in the first place. After reading this article though, I might be able to change your mind.
Everyone is Looking at Social Media
The next time you head over to downtown Spartanburg or the WestGate Mall, take a few minutes to really look around and see what shoppers are doing. They’re shopping, sure, but I’m talking about what they’re doing in-between their travels from store to store. Look around the food court or check out the moms that are watching their kids on those neat slingshot trampoline contraptions…what are they doing?
They’re staring at their smartphones.
And as you know, one of the big favorites of any smartphone user is their social feed. That’s literally how they keep up with the world around them. Cousin Bobby got married. Michelle took the kids to Myrtle Beach this week. We love this senseless kind of banter because it’s easy to keep up relationships without putting forth any type of real effort. With just one tap of the “like button”, everyone knows that we’re on board.
Social Media Delivers Massive Traffic
As a business owner here in Spartanburg, those social media feeds can become especially important to you since they represent 100% free advertising with Upstate locals who already know and love your brand.
Think about it for a moment. You hit the “like” button over cousin Bobby getting married, and instantly 300-500 people know that you approve of the event. And some of them had no idea that Bobby was tying the knot, so they chime in the conversation as well…and that invites all of their friends into the conversation as well. So just one photograph at the altar ends up reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands of people, and they all end up happy for Bobby (even though most of them don’t know him) because somebody they know supports him.
Customers Love Social Media Recommendations
Now, if we apply this same type of social media campaign to your business, a single post can get your brand in front of thousands of potential customers across the upstate. And since it’s your best customers who are initially hitting those like buttons and leaving comments, they are actually serving as brand ambassadors on your behalf to get the word out about your company. And the snowball effect can literally become massive if you’re publishing content that’s social by nature.
What do I mean by that?
Well, everyone “liked” Bobby’s wedding because it was the polite thing to do., whether they were actually interested in it or not. People also like videos, funny stories, contests and dozens of other types of media because they feel personally connected to it in one way or another, and their friends pay attention because they value each other’s opinion. If you’re only posting sales material though, then there’s really no reason for someone to like it…even if they end up making a purchase.
Using Social Media to Build a Brand
So if you want your social media accounts to explode in popularity, the number one rule is to stop trying to sell. Focus on engaging people instead. After all, you have a website that should be fully optimized to showcase your products and educate consumers about your business, so you don’t need to try to do that all over again on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter…especially since every post you make on these social media sites will link back to your homepage anyway.
Instead, your one and only focus on social media should be about getting likes, comments and other types of interactions. And the real beauty of it is that it doesn’t matter what you do to get that positive feedback- it doesn’t have to have anything to do with your brand at all. Because as people find enjoyable content on your social media pages and begin to share it with others, you’re creating the opportunity to talk to thousands of new Spartanburg customers on a daily basis just by showing off your personality…and the sales part can definitely come later through other channels.
Where to Start with Social Media
Suddenly w
e’re back where we began; at your dreary Facebook page with 47 likes and nothing but boring promotional material. And you’re probably thinking, “All of this sounds great…but how do I start connecting with customers on social media and make them appreciate my brand?”
It’s actually pretty simple to do…just contact Upstate Synergy and we’ll handle everything.
Seriously though, it really is not that difficult to start building your brand on social media. Start with some type of promotion- a giveaway, a contest or almost anything that you can display in your storefront that would grab your customer’s attention. Consider it a bribe of sorts; if they follow you on social media, then you’ll reward them with a little extra something.
For example, if you own a restaurant here in Spartanburg, then offer a free soft drink with any purchase in exchange for a like on Facebook. Then set the offer on your counter, let people complete the action as they’re waiting in line, and they’ll have a confirmation page to show your waitress/cashier that grants them an inexpensive freebie. It’s that simple.
For other types of businesses, I suggest going with an iPad giveaway. Because even though that tech toy will cost you $500+, you can give one away every few months and gain tens of thousands of subscribers for that minimal investment. Another good method is to give away an industry guide in exchange for a social media like and an email address, because you’re educating your customers and building initial trust at the same time.
Keeping the Conversations Going on Social Media
Whatever you choose to do, getting that initial like is simply a stepping-stone towards building an actual relationship with your customers and their friends. So once they start looking around at your social media wall, they should see all kinds of great photos, videos, local news, testimonials, fun stories and other things to make them appreciate you. And once again, this doesn’t have to be solely about your business or what you have for sale…it just has to be engaging and there should be lots of it.
Before you start a campaign to gain new followers, I’d recommend having at least ten posts on your account for people to look at.
And once you start getting new fans on social media, just give them a few additional content pieces per week so you stay sharp in their minds. Even something as simple as “What do you like most about <your business name>?” or “What’s one feature you’d love to see added to <business name>” can get conversations started and get you in front of new customers within the community.
That’s the only real goal here…posting content that makes others appreciate you and eager to join in on the conversation. Just make sure you add attention-grabbing photographs or the occasional video since it makes your posts stand out a whole lot more.
For more information on building a killer social media account, feel free to contact us via email for a complimentary needs evaluation. We are always happy to help out.
The Internet has literally been ablaze lately with domain owners in a sheer panic over the announcement that Google Panda will be rolling out with a new update in the days to come. Some of the changes mentioned in the blogosphere are updates to how backlinks are counted (and rated), the deletion of all duplicate content web-wide, and a number of other rumors about how the search engine giant will dish out punishments aimed at black hat SEO techniques. While the exact patch details won’t be available until after the launch, this is going to be a brutal upgrade for hundreds of thousands of websites.
Then again, does it really matter if Google raises the bar on what constitutes as a quality website? Here’s what these changes will mean to writers-
Quality Definitely Trumps Quantity
The largest impact that a lot of writers will feel from the latest Google Panda update is a changing trend from quantity to quality. Instead of domain owners focusing on posting hundreds (or thousands) of smaller, generic articles, Google is trying to force websites to deliver higher quality information that is actually useful to consumers. For url’s that have always focused on superior content, absolutely nothing will change after the upcoming patch.
For the rest of cyberspace, however, a lot of changes will have to be made to avoid some fairly harsh penalties in the search engines. Not only will poor content no longer rank under the latest Panda update, but it will actually invoke a penalty until those pages are upgraded or deleted. In other words, it will be harder than ever to obtain artificial rankings off keyword-stuffed pages, generic backlinks, and other questionable tactics.
Multimedia More Important than Ever
While only a few of the “SEO experts” have talked about multimedia and Google Panda, it only makes sense that if spam content and boring pages will be penalized, then well written, consumer-engaging pages are the way of the future. That means all of those alt-tag on photos, embedded videos, games, infographs, and more will all be big boosts for web pages and companies will be forced to deliver a higher standard than ever before.
As writers this section may not seem to apply to us, but it really does in numerous ways. In previous articles, I’ve said time and time again to tie these aspects into your article submissions in the first place. If you’ve adopted that policy and given 110% to employers, then your job security just got a whole lot sweeter. Either way though; it won’t be long before this is a standard practice on all websites so it’s time to adopt finding multimedia to accompany your articles now.
Content Will Always Be King
One thing I find particularly amusing is how so many authoritive sites are dreading this update, because if they are delivering great quality then they have absolutely nothing to worry about. Search engines have been abused for far too long by questionable SEO tactics so if anything, Google is doing both you and I a massive favor. The website with the best content or most information should rank first every time; that’s how it was designed in the 1980’s and that’s how it should be today.
Even though a lot will change after the Google Panda update rolls out later this week, very little of that will affect writers who focus on bringing relevant, engaging content to their audiences. If anything, it will place us in higher demand because every update eliminates a few more loopholes in the system.
Over the past few years, I have worked with hundreds of online writers at various stages of their career since I’ve always prided myself in helping others succeed. While the one thing in common all of these writers shared was a passion to write and make money online, their skill sets varied dramatically in terms of understanding how the Internet really works and what clients expect in terms of content. If you really want to be a writer online, then here are some traits that you have to master well before reaching out to your first client-
Understanding Search Engine Optimization
It’s kind of funny; every single time I place an ad online for help on a writing project, nearly 100% of the applicants reply by saying, “Hello. My name is <xxx> and I’m an SEO expert.” In most of those cases, I will reply to that writer by saying, “Okay, great! Please forward me all the keywords that you have ranked #1 on Google for your personal website and I’ll hire you immediately.”
There is a huge difference having basic knowledge of search engine optimization and claiming to be an actual authority, so expect for clients to call your bluff often when you say something like, “I’m an SEO expert.” Believe it or not, I’ve learned more from clients over the years than I ever picked up on my own or in college…so be humble when stating your talents and let the writing do the talking for you. Instead of making overstated claims, just send the client a custom sample to prove you know what you’re talking about.
Writing for Short Attention Spans
If you’re writing for a newspaper, magazine, or sending a business letter, then you should stick just with the facts and avoid embellishments. Audiences online are a completely different type of reader, however, and your writing style has to be a lot more relaxed in order to hold their attention. That’s why you see so many online articles that are formatted with subtitles, page breaks, bullet points, and photographs…it’s a way to keep readers engaged.
Likewise, the Internet is not a place to show off your vocabulary so keep those five-dollar words off the screen. Your readers will range from 8-90 in age and a good percentage of them will not even count English as their first language, so remember that online articles are written for a very broad audience. While you should absolutely have a unique voice and show off your writing styles as much as possible, just be sure that your wording is appropriate for your client’s entire reader-base.
Quotes from Reputable Sources
This topic pretty much speaks for itself but it’s still worth bringing up since so few writers bother to quote their sources within their online articles. This is important for a number of reasons-
- It gives the client outbound links to quality sites
- It shows that you’re competent with research
- It shows the client that you know what you’re talking about
- It gives your readers faith that your advice is genuine
- It makes Google happy…which makes your client happy
Using Professionalism to Make Impressions
If you want to be a writer with a long career ahead of you, then understanding a client’s needs is only half of the battle. I can’t tell you how many times a writer has sounded great in the interview and then proved that they were a complete amateur by missing deadlines, sending poor quality work, making excuses, asking for payment advances, or complaining that I did not provide them sufficient details to complete the assignment. This is not how a professional operates.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re a blogger, a copy writer, or a freelance writer, dealing with clients is the most important aspect of your profession because it decides your eventual income. There is absolutely no substitute for great customer service so as a writer; you have to exceed your client’s expectations from the original proposal letter to after receiving your final payment.
Let’s face it; very few businesses get it right when it comes to email marketing in Spartanburg. Either they completely overstep their bounds by filling their users’ inbox with non-stop advertising, or they simply send a message or two per year and hope for the best. Neither method actually produces results though because that’s not what the consumer signed up for.
Take Papa John’s Pizza, for example. Some of their promotions, like earning a free pizza for placing an order during major sporting events, are fantastic ideas that drastically boost their sales on big party occasions. So you know they have some smart marketers in place within their corporate offices.
Why then do they email their entire lists with “specials” 8-12 times per week when the offer is actually regular menu price? It makes absolutely no sense since they’re finding their way to spam folders and alienating their customer base more and more every single day.
Learn to Build Actual Relationships
The main thing Papa Johns (and everyone else) does wrong is forgetting that email is supposed to be about building genuine relationships. That can’t happen if your marketing department doesn’t have respect for their customers though, because people see straight through false promises and gimmicks these days. The average person receives over 250 emails per address, per day, so we’ve become very good in a very short period of time when it comes to spotting spam.
Here’s the amazing thing though- companies who respect their customers and use email to build stronger relationships actually see five to ten times the average return on each campaign. And they gain up to ten times the conversions with only a handful of total messages sent out each month…which completely goes against the way big business handles email.
So instead of trying to sell something, message your customers only when you have something of value to tell them. They will respect you for it a whole lot more and it is the only way to create lifelong customers that are always willing to listen.
Properly Manage your Email Lists
Another thing that completely boggles my mind is how large corporations violate their own privacy policies without giving it a second thought. For example, you’ve probably come across several websites recently that had a banner offering a free eBook download in exchange for you sharing your email address. And honestly, this is a great way to generate potential leads…and it’s also a great way to chase potential leads away.
Case and point- a local Spartanburg insurance company (that I’m not going to call out directly) offers a free PDF download to teach potential clients about deductibles and other things they should consider before choosing a home insurance policy. Just in the past week, however, they’ve emailed me about RV insurance (I don’t have an RV), motorcycle insurance (I don’t have one of those either), an upcoming agent conference (I’m not a licensed agent) and three other messages that had absolutely nothing to do with me.
Now, if this company really wanted me to use them for home insurance, wouldn’t it make a heck of a lot more sense for them to only contact me about that one service? But they can’t do that because their email lists are all clumped together into one generic category. In other words, they have no idea who I am or why they’re emailing me in the first place…but they just keep on messaging anyway.
To avoid this common problem, you absolutely must sort your email lists based on each lead’s initial interests. The more specific your messaging is to their needs, the more your campaigns will convert and produce favorable results.
When You Sell, Offer an Unbeatable Value
Let’s talk about Papa John’s one more time- specifically, all those “specials” they send me as a trusted customer. I’ve always wondered; do they really think that Americans are so unbelievably stupid that they wouldn’t glance at the actual online menus to see that they’re not being offered a deal? And once we realize that we’ve been lied to, do they really still expect us to order from them that day anyway?
As my twelve year old likes to say, “Heck to the no-no.”
Here’s the almost laughable thing that happens though; when consumers see an offer that initially interests them, it creates a genuine desire to buy. If the messaging is not genuine though, then that initial interest will push them straight to a competitor’s doorstep. And in Papa John’s case, there’s no telling how many pies they inadvertently sell for Pizza Hut, Dominos and all the independent franchises.
So the point here is that if you’re going to make a sales pitch through email, then it better be a genuinely good offer that the consumer doesn’t have to think too hard about. Because if there’s even the faintest hint of doubt within that messaging, then you’re actually marketing for your competitors instead.
Just the other day, I was called to a local used car dealership to help them understand why their site wasn’t receiving nearly as much natural traffic as it did a few years ago. And before I even arrived there, the problem was evident…the website was being completely neglected.
Now, don’t think I’m speaking poorly of this client because it really wasn’t his fault. He did what most Upstate businesses do when it comes to maintaining their websites- absolutely nothing. He simply assumed that everything would run on autopilot and customers would continue to show up at his doorstep. Only that’s not how it works.
For example, let’s talk about web design in Spartanburg. For as long as I can remember, a company called Upstate Web help the top ranking because the owner was actively updating his site, guiding customers there and making his domain more visible. Just a few years ago, however, that business closed due to the owner’s health and his website has been in a steady free fall in popularity ever since.
Websites are Just Like Businesses
Why?
Because Google and the other search engines look at your website exactly that same way that you and I look at brick and mortar businesses. If we see a store with lots of people coming and going, for example, then we assume that they must have great prices or awesome service. When we see an empty parking lot in front of a business, however, then we assume that times are not good for that company.
To make your website more popular, it is 100% essential to-
- Add new content frequently
- Providing great information about your business
- Have a steady stream of new and returning visitors
- Create reasons for other websites to talk about you
- Have visitors leaving comments and clicking on links
- Offering a good blend of writing, photos and videos
And if you think about it, you ask your employees to do the exact same kinds of things inside your business. They learn about your products, explain things to customers and happily show people around if they need help. If you’re reputable, then other businesses are likely sending you foot traffic as well…and the search engines work exactly the same way.
How to Boost Your Web Traffic
If you want a natural boost in the search engines, then the easiest way to accomplish that goal is to update your website. Anything from blogs to product pages to a good old FAQ will help potential customers better understand how you conduct business, and it also signals to the search engines that you’re serious about achieving success online.
So every time you post something new that consumers seem to enjoy, it gives a little boost in the rankings for the topic that is discussed. Over time, this has a big cumulative effect that launches you straight to the top of the search engines. And once ideal customers begin to find you and appreciate your efforts, it separates you from the competition and everything changes.
If you need help making your web content stand out or you’d simply like an explanation about why you’re not receiving as much web traffic as in the past, please feel free to contact me for a site evaluation. In the meantime, just start thinking about what kinds of content that your customers would appreciate knowing before they contact you in person…and that will grant you a big head-start towards fixing the problem.
If you look at the average Spartanburg social media account for local businesses, you’ll likely see some basic contact information, links to recent promotions, and maybe a photo or two. Other than that, it’s simply a sad, boring page without too much going on.
The next time you head over to downtown Spartanburg or the WestGate Mall, take a few minutes to really look around and see what shoppers are doing. They’re shopping, sure, but I’m talking about what they’re doing in-between their travels from store to store. Look around the food court or check out the moms that are watching their kids on those neat slingshot trampoline contraptions…what are they doing?
So if you want your social media accounts to explode in popularity, the number one rule is to stop trying to sell. Focus on engaging people instead. After all, you have a website that should be fully optimized to showcase your products and educate consumers about your business, so you don’t need to try to do that all over again on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter…especially since every post you make on these social media sites will link back to your homepage anyway.
e’re back where we began; at your dreary Facebook page with 47 likes and nothing but boring promotional material. And you’re probably thinking, “All of this sounds great…but how do I start connecting with customers on social media and make them appreciate my brand?”
Whatever you choose to do, getting that initial like is simply a stepping-stone towards building an actual relationship with your customers and their friends. So once they start looking around at your social media wall, they should see all kinds of great photos, videos, local news, testimonials, fun stories and other things to make them appreciate you. And once again, this doesn’t have to be solely about your business or what you have for sale…it just has to be engaging and there should be lots of it.
