Regardless if you are an online marketer, or a brick and mortar establishment, you aren’t going to sell anything if you haven’t gained the trust of your customers. Trust that they are getting the best product, the most choices and an uncompromising level of customer service after the sale. If you are using social media marketing correctly, you will be able to instill a level of trust in your customers faster than when compared to traditional forms of advertising. Yes, Radio, TV and Print can make you a household name, but it doesn’t guarantee that you have achieved a level of trust that will result in any type of sale.

This is where social media marketing takes up where traditional advertising simply cannot go. When your business joins in on the conversation, IE. having and effectively using a social media platform to build relationships as opposed to retailing, you are going to build trust. It really is that simple. Not only do consumers now have a tool to rate you on your performance and value, you also have the same tool to interact and prove your worth.
According to searchengineland.com

It is through understanding the variables of trust and credibility, no matter the network, that you can begin to think of your relationships as highly credible sources of relevance.  Additionally, the relationship is becoming the medium, and your brand assets can be thought of as signals that are carried over these relationships.

No longer do consumers have to assume that just because your are one of the “Big Guys” that you are one of the “Best Guys”. In fact, all the information they will ever need about your business entity can be found online. How are you maintaining your reputation if you aren’t “in the conversation”? How do you solve problems and issues with your brand if you don’t know, or care that problems and issues even exist. How are you going to retain your client base if they don’t feel they can trust your business, or products? The simple answer is that, “You can’t”.

To acquire TRUST, join the conversation. If you don’t, you could stand to be knocked off of that pedestal that you’ve been comfortably sitting on by a competitor you previously thought posed no threat. I’d be willing to bet that they understand and use the power of social media to build TRUST.

If you want to know more about building relationships with your customers the easy way, contact Social-Motive, we can help.

Social Media is no longer a medium that is experimental and business owners should not treat it as such. I remember the days when I had to convince small business owners that websites are not just a fad and that having a good looking presence online was of massive importance. These days, that message would be considered ancient. One of the larger mistakes being made online is treating your social media channels as a chat room with no branding significance. Of course, big brands like Starbucks and Nike are taking social media seriously and exploding at the seams because of it. If your website has a clear message that your potential customers can easily understand, your Facebook, Google+ and Twitter should have the same message.

An obvious no-no, is to retail out your social channels so it is a carbon copy of your website; however, if you have not invested in branding for your company you may be missing an important element in your arsenal. Branding is not just a graphic treatment for your business but it is a visual display of what makes your business tick. You understand that when you see the words, “Just Do It”, Nike is not just selling you shoes, shorts and a shirt, they are forcing you to recognize the quality of their apparel. The think tank that came up with the words “Just Do It” were not some lucky folks who nailed it on the head. They spent hours, weeks and months building something that would last decades and by all intensive purposes, a lifetime. When we walk into a retailer and see the swoosh symbol and the words “Just Do It”, we are comforted by the fact that Nike has all our active lifestyles covered.

I will leave you with some of the questions that any branding agency would ask you :

• What does your business do that is most effective?
• Where does your business need the most improvement?
• What do you want customers to remember the most about your business?
• How would you ask someone to communicate your business?

These questions may seem simple to answer, but a good branding agency will help you understand what is effective and what is just plan fluff that the consumer will see right through. I am going to write a small series on branding your small business and would love to hear your thoughts on the subject as well. I will touch on graphics, but I believe there is so much more than just a good logo to creating branding that lasts a lifetime.

Welcome to the wild wonderful world of social media. If you’ve made it to this blog post, then you no doubt have accepted the fact that not only is social media here to stay, but you are either already involved with programs of your own, or are considering starting one. Either way, you have to understand the basic tenants of social media before you see any type of monetary return. That why Social Motive is here. There are three basic principles in regards to turning your social media conquests into a viable and consistent revenue generator. In short they are:

• Acquisition: What you do to acquire readers, fans and followers
• Engagement: These are the ongoing things to engage your followers. Some of this engagement overlap with your acquisition techniques
• Monetization: Properly engaging your followers gives you PERMISSION to monetize your audience. This has to be done with great care as you can drive people away with in appropriate use of sales tactics.

Check out the video below for an in depth analysis of these three pillars of social development.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJScIN7QO7Q

Remember, the social media platform has changed how small businesses like yours engage and interact with existing and potential customers. When done correctly, the monetization of your audience will happen naturally, without driving a wedge between the trust you and your customers have. It is important to play by the rules in regards to “selling” to your audience.

IF you have any questions about how to make your Social Media Engagements more fruitful, Social-Motive is just a call away.

I caught myself the other day saying,  “What would we ever do without Social Media”? For a communication platform that is so young, it’s amazing how quickly we’ve made it the “go-to” form of getting in touch with family and friends…on a grand scale. What happened to the phone? Oh, you mean the device that I access Facebook on? Let me tell you a quick story.

My wife and I recently had our first baby and within the first hour, I was able to post the great news. No long distance calls, no relying on others to spread the word. I was able to upload pictures and updates in real time. The following hours were flooded with people commenting on our updates and pictures and it extended in to the next day, then the rest of the week. I could tell EVERYONE at ONCE exactly what was happening while it was happening. Why can’t you do this for your business?

There is no doubt that the information you can share with your fan base on Facebook and Twitter is important and valuable, so why don’t you share it? What’s keeping you from stepping in line with modernity? Fear? Lack of understanding? I know it’s not because you WANT to sabotage your success, but if you don’t use Social Media and social marketing to your benefit, then that is exactly what your are doing. Basically, if you are one of the few who still doesn’t think that Social Media is here to stay, then I have some very disturbing news for you…the ship has sailed and you are not on it. That reminds me, how did you find Social-Motive and in particular, this article? Let me guess…via a social media platform?

The bottom line is that changes in communication a constant and unfettered. The train killed the Pony Express. Email is choking out the postal service. Even your phone has ceased being just a phone and has been designed to access media of all types. Phone apps are being made and improved upon daily and specifically for social media platforms. That’s not even taking into consideration that new social sites are popping up all over the place. Some may be better than others for getting your message out, but that’s not really the point. The point IS there are more Social Media outlets than ever and it’s only going to get bigger.

There is no doubt that you want to communicate with your entire customer base and when you harness the far reaching power of  Social Media you can do just that. You can keep everyone up to date in real time. Where do you start though? Try Social-Motive. Let us take you from sending smoke signals to providing instant accessibility to the information your customers and clients want and need…we’ll even deliver it to their virtual “doorstep”.

Wrong.

I have already explained my complete fascination and genuine satisfaction with Instagram, and that is still the case. But now that Mark Zukerberg has announced that Facebook has purchased Instagram I am beyond thrilled. According to the Huffington post Mark has said that he does not plan to fully integrate the two social networks but rather he intends on “building on Instagram’s strengths and features.” This is great news but I hope (and think) that some integration will occur at some point in the future. If even the slightest integration occurs I think that Facebook will see much more photo sharing than what is  already occurring. This would be fantastic! In the eyes of social media for businesses it could mean enhanced success! We could develop our social media programs further by implementing more campaigns driven by photos. More of our fans would be on board to participate because enhanced photo options will make it more fun and interesting. This could also mean more of our fans taking photos and posting them on our timelines. Any given day we could announce that the most creative photo posted on our timeline today will receive x, y and z. A little integration of Instagram’s really neat features would allow creativity like this to happen and persuade our fans to join in the fun!

But, as always…

There are many people out there who are complaining about this purchase and even the thought of integration between Facebook and Instagram. This was fully expected though, people are always going to complain about everything. Every change brings upon a new complaint and that’s ok because it makes things interesting. But I believe these complaints to be silly in comparison to what integration would mean and the possibilities that it would bring. There are many complaints surfacing to the extent of the hated of the idea of taking photos on Instagram and them instantly being uploaded to Facebook. More extend on this complaint and say that Instagram provided a smaller community than that of Facebook and this made people comfortable. The truth of the matter is, if you are so worried about your photos becoming the  talk of people who aren’t your close friends then you can take photos and text or email them. Social media is in and it’s here to stay! This acquisition is a great one and I think that even the slightest integration of the two  will be beneficial and it will enhance the Facebook experience. This will make it more fun to create social media campaigns and it will entice our fans to participate. In the mean time, creating more and more creative social media campaigns for our clients is important to us and we love doing it! Talk to us today about creating a platform for your business, and watch your sales roll in!

What do you think about the Instagram purchase? Do you think integration is a good idea? 

]]> http://social-motive.com/excitement-over-the-instagram-purchase/feed/ 0 http://social-motive.com/the-truth-about-facebook-timeline-for-business-pages/ http://social-motive.com/the-truth-about-facebook-timeline-for-business-pages/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:14:47 +0000 Shalanna Clark http://social-motive.com/?p=1286 How does it affect my business’ Facebook page?

A free benefit concert this Saturday (April 14) at the Levitt Pavilion will help raise funds for those who suffered damages and losses because of the tornadoes that touched down in Arlington and the surrounding area last week. The concert is free, but cash donations will be collected to be dispersed through the local Salvation Army for those in need.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with the Salvation Army Band. Betty Buckley, Tony Award-winning actress and recording artist will perform, followed by Melissa Lawson, Arlington country music artist who won NBC’s Nashville Star.

No clothing or food will be collected. Officials at the Salvation Army say that they have more than enough of those items. Cash donations will be collected to be used for a variety of needs for those who suffered damages and losses and were not insured or underinsured.

Those attending the concert should bring lawn chairs and blankets to use on the lawn. Picnics and coolers are welcome, but no glass containers.

The Levitt Pavilion is located at 100 W. Abram St. in Arlington. Free parking is available all around the pavilion. Directions to the Levitt and a parking map are available on their website, www.levittpavilionarlington.org.

Business Support – Reputation Management

Whether you like the idea or not, if a customer decides they want to talk about your product (negative or positive), they will talk about it online via Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or any other social avenue of their choice. If you decide that you hate Facebook and will not “partake in such public monstrosities” (said in a fine Shakespearean tone), then you may be in for a rude awakening. Social Media will happen for you, with or without you. Being in control of your social media presence is a basic support for your entire business. In the days of old, a business would receive a letter in the mail or a telephone call to complain about a problem. Today, all I have to do is make a small gripe on Twitter and the re-tweets and replies can go through the roof if anyone feels like I do about the product. Having control of your brand in social media allows you to respond in real-time giving you and your customers  the support needed.

Confidence Equals Comfort

You are  walking into a meeting all dressed to impress and realize you forgot to wear your belt or noticed you put on one black and one blue high heel (by the way, always get dressed in good light). What do you do besides estimate the time it would take to get to the store or your house and get it right before the meeting? You suffer from anxiety, wondering if anyone will notice. It affects your presentation that day, your confidence is out the door and replaced with fear of the unknown. When you are not in control of your social media presence with a good plan, you lack confidence and it will look evident to every one else.

The Unknown – Return on Investment

I always get asked about Return on Investment (ROI) and to be honest it is difficult to slide in the ROI as if it were the same as TV or Radio commercials. The honest truth is that social media is not about direct retail and most people are on Facebook or Twitter to talk about what they want to talk about. Most everyone will not see your underwear day in and day out, but the one day you split your pants people will know whether you had some on or not. When your business is not prepared in social media like your competitors, all it takes is one tweet or one post to lose a sale. Incorporating social media into your business plan involves a way of thinking that does not measure ROI quite the same as traditional avenues of advertising. Social media management is about engaging with your customers, community and becoming involved in their lives. One day that involvement pays off more than any ad you created because you now have a customer for life who is willing to tell others about you. Why, because you simply took the time to put on your underwear.

On April 3rd, 2012, North Texas was drilled with multiple tornadoes, the most DFW has ever seen. Word spread quickly around the metroplex, through Twitter updates, Youtube videos, and Facebook picture shares. Soon, major news outlets around the country starting picking these up and reported the images and videos that were shared through social media.

Local and national media are not the only ones who used social media to react and help. Local businesses are also taking advantage of their networks and community involvement.

A group of Arlington businesses called Arlington Businesses Care have pledged to donate funds to the Salvation Army of Arlington Mansfield by utilizing their social media pages. Each business has pledged to donate $1 for every new fan who likes their Facebook page to go towards the tornado relief fund at the Salvation Army. Together, the businesses are hoping to raise $1850 to donate to the community.

By working quickly, these businesses will be able to make a timely donation to their community in need, as well as spreading their social reach on Facebook for future events.

With a world that is so fast-paced, how can your business use it’s networks to help quickly?

• Be quick to react. Social media doesn’t have time to wait for weeks of approval and procrastination. Work while the the event is still topical and fresh in the fan’s minds.
• Work together with the charity organization to ensure you properly run your promotion in accordance with their guidelines. The charity should also be able to help you steer some of their fans to help your cause.
• Can’t afford to do a big event? Partner with other businesses to expand your donation and social reach. Many are ready and willing, but just need to be asked!

If your business is interested in running a charity event through your social networks, please contact Social.Motive!

We know what you “want” to do, but we also know what you “should” do, and let me tell you know, it’s a tough pill to swallow for a lot of car dealers….Don’t hard sell on your wall. That’s hard for retailers to understand, let alone take as a direction, because it is counter-intuitive to how you’ve always conducted business. Or, is it? Think of it this way, technically, you already have the skill set. In order to close a deal, you have to gain that customer’s trust, right? How? By starting a conversation and qualifying your customer’s needs, whereby starting a relationship. The same holds true on social media platforms. You have to form a relationship, before you get trust and well before you get the sale.

People use Social Media to Socialize. You have to become part of the conversation in order to be heard. You can’t do that by shouting item and price at them. Your “message” will be dismissed as clutter. Oh, and good luck keeping them as a fan of your page. You gave them nothing…not even a conversation. Why would they ever want to come back?

Don’t shout price and item at them, post one of your blogs teaching them how to change a flat. (If you are doing it right, you’ll have a Blog.) Start a contest and give away something significant, like an iPad. Start a relationship with your local High School and develop a donation drive. Hey, those kids are in the market for their first car…interesting. See how easy that is?

Talk to your fans almost like you would on your own personal profile. What? You don’t have a profile? One of the greatest revolutions in modern communication and you don’t have a profile? That’s an entirely new blog. Shame on you.

Back on target. Use your fan page to offer information, education and some entertainment. Give your fans something to be fans about. Start conversations about the brand and start analyzing who is responding. And, for the love of Pete, let your salesmen respond to conversations so they can build relationship with potential customers. As long as they understand that you don’t “sell”, you “build”, then you can have an army of cyber-salesmen that can literally change the perception of your dealership with positive online and social interactions.

If you are going to step into the Social Media Arena, do it the right way. There is so much that changes on a daily basis, even I have to work overtime to stay 100% up to date. How much time out of your schedule can you afford to handle your social media platform effectively?

I’ll tell you what, make it easy. Get a Professional Social Media marketer to help you make it actually work for you.

Being in the retail business means you sell, you don’t let buyers walk and you close deals. If you don’t, you’ll be looking for a new job really soon. I understand that, but you must remember that the social world is not a retail world.

-dave-