Do I need Social Media Marketing?

Social media isn’t just for high school kids. It’s not just a time waster. Nor is it just about posting photos of the toasted ravioli you had for lunch. Social media has become a daily source of communication, information and entertainment. Are your customers on social media? Absolutely, and you should be too.

Facebook alone has 59% of all internet users in North America as active users!

All around the world there are people on social media reading and posting updates. They’re looking at pictures their cousin took when he was on vacation in Clearwater Beach, Florida. They’re congratulating a friend on finishing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. They’re telling all their friends and family about how much they love Kaldi’s Coffee.

Wouldn’t it be great if you were a board member for the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce with the ability to comment on a photo album, “Glad you had a great time! Come back and see us again soon!” Or even go further, and ask to use one of their photos on the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce page. Not only would that give you a great photo to help promote the area, but now you have the chance to begin a relationship with that family. The goal is to get them to like your page, so they will continue to see photos of the fun others are having in Clearwater. These photos will serve as a constant reminder to them of the fun they had in Clearwater – each photo adding to their desire to visit Clearwater Beach again.

Or, let’s say you owned a local athletic store that sold running shoes. You could see a tweet from a proud friend, “Congrats, @wester_brad for completing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon!” As the owner of the store, you could reply and send your congratulations and take a moment to personally tell them about the sale you’re currently running that offers a discount to those who ran in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. (By the way, that’s my Twitter handle above, feel free to follow me.)

And we can’t forget about Kaldi’s Coffee.

literally no better way to start the day than coffee and breakfast at @Kaldis_Coffee

— tara willey (@tara_willey) September 29, 2013

Kaldi’s Coffee is already using the simple act of Retweeting as a way to empower their customers to become brand advocates.  Tara was telling her 270 followers how much she enjoyed Kaldi’s Coffee when Kaldi’s took a brief moment to click a Retweet button.  Quickly, her message of loving Kaldi’s was shared with over 7,300 other coffee lovers.

So, with 59% of all North American internet users being active on Facebook alone, can you honestly say your customers aren’t talking about you, or opening a conversation for you to join in on?  If you’re still not sure if they are, or maybe you’re just not sure where they are online – just ask.  I’ll let you know.  Not sure how to get started?  I can help with that too.  Comment below, send me a tweet, or fill out the social media help application.  I’m looking forward to helping you get started with your social media marketing campaign.