What Should You Be Posting on Social Media

With all that is available in the social media realm these days there are so many creative ways to create awareness for your business. It's important to remember not to flood your tweets and posts with constant sales messages. That is a big turn off for consumers. So just what should you be post on your social media sites? Here are some great ideas:

1. Give them a sneak peek of a product currently in development: Leave them wanting more! Let them know you're working hard to create something they're going to want to be on the lookout for.

2. Introduce them to your employees: Being able to relate to a business and its brand is important to consumers. It builds trust and loyalty. What better way to do that than to show them who is working hard behind the scenes.

3. Pictures: Whether you're a restaurant showing off your daily special, an amusement park bragging about your newest attraction or an auto dealer introducing your newest car to the lot, these are great ways to keep consumers up to date on happenings with your business.

4. Acknowledgements: If someone mentions you good or bad, it's important to let them know you hear them. Thank them for their support and their comments.

5. Everyday life: There's no better way for consumers to bond with a business than being able to see the people behind it are human themselves. You don't need to get too personal, but hey if you just ran your first half marathon, participated in a local event over the weekend or visited a new restaurant in town, don't be afraid to share it.

6. Current Promotions: Without flooding your social media sites with constant sales pitches, do let consumers know when you're running specific promotions so they can take advantage.

7. Relevant News: If you've found articles, blogs or any relevant news stories relating to your industry or your area, share it.

8. Answers to Frequently asked Questions: Inform consumers of your policies, business hours and any other information you think they should know. The easier it is to find the better.

9. Fun Facts: Engage fans with information they might not know about you, your business and your employees. Trivia, quizzes and fun facts are a great way to shed a positive light.

Corporate Responsibility: What Is Your Business Doing?

From a business standpoint, giving back to the community is called Corporate Social Responsibility. Haven't heard of it? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company's commitment to practice ethically while assisting in building the economy it thrives in. 

Customers purchase products and services from companies they trust. This is why building relationships is so important in the success of a business. Companies that have a heavy impact within the community and give back to those who support them are more likely to gain trust and inhabit valuable returning customers. 

A survey by Landor Associates, Penn Schoen Berland and Burson-Marsteller proved the important of CSR to customers when it found that even in today's struggling economy
75 percent of consumers believe social responsibility is important. Another 55 percent  said they would actually choose a product that supports a particular cause over other similar products that don't.

Wondering what you can do within your community to insure your trust in customers, place your business in a positive light and help strengthen your local economy?

• Donate to a local charity 
• Sponsor a local event
• Find something you are passionate about and help create awareness
• Encourage your employees to volunteer around the community.  Maybe at a food kitchen, animal shelter or children's youth programs.

There are so many things that can be done. The main idea is to just give back. Spend some time helping others and really make a difference.

Learn From Your Competition: 4 Questions You Should Ask Yourself

Competition doesn't always have to be the enemy. Competition can also be a valuable learning tool.

In today’s social media age, it is easy to keep an eye on your competition. As mentioned in the “why all businesses should be on twitter” blog it’s a way to see what customers are saying about them. But there are a lot of other things you can learn from them throughout social media.

 Here are a few questions to ask yourself about how your competition interacts with their customers and also how their customers interact with them on Facebook.

         What type of posts get the most responses from their customers?

    What type of specials are running through their fan pages?

What type of information are they putting out there?

          How active are they and does it seem to be working?