Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become just as standard as having a website these days.
They are simple to set up, easy to maintain and amount to a free method of advertising and gaining good will with your customers.
Unlike a website they also feature a lot more transparency. That can be a good thing because it gives your customers a feeling that they know your company better and that you are more accessible. On the other hand, if you are just starting your social media profile you likely have very few friends at the outset, that’s probably not the way you want your company profile to seem.
Of course, that number will eventually pick up as word spreads about your Facebook page and people start to follow you on Twitter, but until then that low number of friends may make you and your company feel a little exposed. So you have two options, sit tight and anxiously await the day you can brag about the number of social media friends you have, or create an irresistible reason for friends to flock to your site like bees to honey. Which method you choose depends on how proactive you like to be in your online marketing campaign, and of course how sensitive you are to the number of friends you have.
For the purposes of this post, let’s assume you are a take-charge kind of person. You want to grab a megaphone and announce your new social media site to the world. You want to send personal invites to every customer you’ve ever done business with. You want your social media sites to grow, to be active, to be social. You are not about to sit by and idly wait for your site to acquire friends organically. So what are your options for building a bigger social circle?
There are several ways to broaden your reach through social media. You really can send out invites to everyone you’ve ever done business with. Why not email your contact list and tell them about your new Facebook or Twitter page? Chances are they will view the invite as a nice personal gesture—especially if it’s a customized email and not just an auto-generated invited from the site itself going through your contact list. You can also alert new customers about the option to keep in touch with your company through your social media site by listing it on the bottom of invoices and receipts. Of course, not everyone looks at those and many emails are deleted before they are even read these days.
There are paid ads that promise to quickly get you new followers. These ads are displayed to targeted audiences and can help expose your site to potential customers. However, they do cost money. While spending money on pay per click or other online advertising has its place, you also want to do what you can without spending all your valuable advertising dollars. It’s always wise to take a diversified approach to your online marketing campaign. So while you definitely want to reach out to past and existing customers and you may also want to look into advertising, don’t forget that design and content can go a long way toward getting people to “stick around.” All of those methods can fail if you don’t give people a reason to actually opt-in—that is, to “friend” you on one of your social networking sites.
So give them something of value. Give them something that makes them want to be your friend. The best way to do this is by creating what is called a landing site. By adding a landing site on your page you are giving some navigation to your visitors. It’s kind of like a big beacon that flashes “The good stuff is here!” A landing page doesn’t have to be your main page but it should be a welcome page and it should convince your new visitors why they should be your “friend.” Above all a landing page will tell your visitor what benefit they will receive by being your friend.
So what makes a good landing site? You can offer a short welcome message and a free ebook or audio book as a thank you for opting in to the site a.k.a becoming a “friend.” You can offer a discount on a future purchase or you can promise an informational newsletter that is a must read. Video is the latest trend. Consider filming a short welcome message to add a personal touch to your page. Whatever you offer make it quality, don’t skimp on the details. This is the entryway to your social circle, make it appealing.
We can help you create a landing site for your social media pages that draws in new visitors and makes them want to hang around. If you don’t have time or the know-how on how to create an irresistible gateway to your social media page let us do it for you. We can draw them in, you take it from there. Contact us or call me at 201 305 3303
Marco Giunta
Latest posts by Marco Giunta (see all)
- Is Your Company Using Social Media Effectively? - January 28, 2013
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