Are you not sure about this? Then ask yourself the following questions…..
  • Are you using social media marketing for your business?
  • Is your social media activity planned and integrated with your marketing strategy?
  • Do you regularly analyse your social media marketing activity for its Return on Investment (ROI)?
  • Is your website responsive, working perfectly on all mobile technology?
If you answer no to one or more of these questions then it may be time for you to do some ‘Catch-Up’ Marketing.
Why is this? Because many of your competitors are poised to steal your market share by being social media marketing savvy and website responsive. With 80% of internet users owning Smartphones (Smart Insights, January 2015) the increase in searches for local businesses and services has gone mobile. Social Media is now the marketing tool of preference as it is instant and cost effective. That is the case if it is used well social media marketing terms.
So, are you in need of some social media marketing help? If so here are a few tips to help you move forward…
  1. Do not run away and bury your head in the sand because social media marketing is scary! Some years ago I was faced with having to get on the social media marketing bandwagon. My jewellery customers were no longer using emails. They were all on Facebook and Twitter. Having discovered this I rebelled against this new technology! I was 60 years old and comfortable with my old marketing ways. The thought of learning something new and alien was daunting. Eventually I joined the social media marketing revolution and found an evening course. This led to me to completing a foundation degree in Social Media. It was either that or loose business! 
  2. Make sure your website is responsive. Whilst out with my daughter, recently, we wanted to find somewhere for lunch. Without hesitation she used her mobile phone to search for local restaurants. All restaurants with slow and unresponsive websites were rapidly rejected. Those without easy to read menus and prices were also rejected. Can you afford to loose business to your competitors by not being social media marketing savvy? 
  3. Choose the social media marketing platforms that are right for your business. Learn how to use them well. Every day I see businesses wasting time and money following bad social media marketing practices. They have no idea how to use social media marketing effectively. For example, on LinkedIn I regularly have people endorse me for my business skills. Many I have never met or worked with and yet they write me an endorsement. Would they go up to a perfect stranger at a business event and tell them how wonderful their product or service is? No! So why do it as part of a  social media marketing strategy? 
  4. Find experienced people to do your social media marketing for you if you do not have the time. Always choose very carefully who you use to outsource your social media activity to. Make sure you manage what they are saying or doing as your business reputation is at stake. I know a business who outsourced their social media to someone who had no idea how to handle a complaint on Twitter. There defensive attitude was seen by millions and quite clearly damaged the businesses reputation. 
  5. Plan and implement your social media marketing campaign well. Include a content strategy that integrates all your other marketing activity. Often I see small businesses who use social media marketing only as a tool to shout about themselves and promote their goods and services. Why do they do this? Probably because that’s what the big brands do and these people just follow blindly. The point they are missing is that the big businesses have already built their brands and customer relationships. For small businesses, social media marketing is about engaging with potential customers, building relationships and being genuinely endorsed by regular customers. This takes time and strategic planning to achieve successfully.
Start your game of social media marketing catch-up today and give me  call if you want any more help.