Is your local business feeling the heat from summer slowdowns?
The hot weather is notorious for sending summer sales plummeting faster than lead-filled balloons win the Kentucky Derby. But thanks to social media, it does not have to be that way!
Here are 10 social promotion tips that can help you boost your business today.
1.) Make sure you’ve claimed your Google+ Business page.
It’s free to create at www.google.com/+/business/ . This gives your business a social page within the Google network.
2.) Ensure your business is present on Facebook, Yelp, and Foursquare.
These networks allow you to claim your business and provide a landing point for customers already on those social sites.
3.) If your business is tourist-oriented, write an article that highlights why it’s a great summer destination.
Share that article on your social pages and encourage your community to let their network know about it as well.
4.) Incorporate summer promotions in your marketing activities.
“Beat The Heat” and “Cool Down With” are two summer-themed headlines you can expand for your special summer sales.
5.) Take that summer promotion and write a value-added content piece that highlights the benefits.
For example, if your summer promotion deals with a product sale, write the Top 10 Ways <Product> Can Be Used For <Summer>. Then share that article across all of your social platforms.
6.) Create a Facebook sponsored ad that targets a local customized audience.
Promote your summer sale only to local residents on Facebook. www.facebook.com/help/459892990722543/ shows you how.
7.) Design a poster that lists where your business can be found on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.
Make sure this is visible at each point of sale or in your windows. This will serve as a visual reminder for people to check you out on their mobile devices.
8.) Scan your local newspaper sites and see what future festivals/events are listed.
Explore to see if you can become a sponsor. Local newspaper sites can be found at usnpl.com/ .
9.) Search Twitter to find reporters covering your area and follow them.
Offer suggestions if you can help them answer their queries. An easy way to do this is find the Twitter ID for the newspaper itself and see what sub-lists they include on their profile (ie, newspaper staff, newspaper eats, etc.).
10.) Set up online business alerts.
www.talkwalker.com/alerts and google.com/alerts are 2 resources for this. Business owners are immediately notified when their business appears online including in Yelp Reviews, GooglePlus reviews and the like. Monitor these and if a negative review shows up, proactively reach out to see how you can make amends.
Smart social media campaigns ensures local businesses can beat the summer slowdown. Understanding how social media, customer reviews and summer promotions can tie in together is key for maintaining and increasing sales during these months.
Enjoy!
Grow strong,
Barbara Ling
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You’ll love what you learn… Promise!