When we meet a new potential client, we always make sure we get in a face to face meeting (be that in Aberystwyth or we travel to see them). We chat about the business, what they’re looking for in a new website and eventually, I’ll turn the conversation onto social media… It’s important from our point of view to see how a business will market themselves, and more often than not there’s a reliance on the website to this for them. Now, I’ve written about this before, a very useful blog you can read here: Don’t rely on your website to work by itself!
When it comes to turning the conversation to digital marketing or social media, it’s fair to say that the businesses we work with are a little bit like Marmite. Some are very involved on social media, while others are trying their very best to stay away from it, no matter the costs. Of course this often comes down to the same reasons – they don’t know how to use it, they have no time, they don’t know what to post.
It’s all about frame of mind, and this is something I do reiterate to anyone who starts talking to me about social media. The point of social media is to give your business a personality online, and to be social with your potential customers and followers.
If you had a shop in the highstreet and people coming in to browse, you’d likely say a polite hello, strike up a conversation or offer to help. So why should it be any different online? Once you start thinking like this, social media becomes a lot more easy to use from a business perspective.
It’s also fair to say that on social media, giving away advice might seem like a wasted 5 minutes of typing for no money – but you’d do the same face to face, and those potential customers might come back and ask you for more help or come to you directly for your services. So do the same online.
Any new business starting now will be on social media, any business started in the last 5 years SHOULD be on social media, so if everyone is going to be on it, you need to be as well. Social media is now part of running a business, it comes hand in hand with your day to day business activities.
We offer a range of help and advice about social media, including some events that will be coming your way soon, so be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page! and be sure to get in touch if you need any help.