Hashtag Fun

We've all seen then and some of us even use them, but what exactly are hashtags and how can you use them to get the most out of your social media? We'll tell you!

• Hashtags are a great way to categorize your discussions to make it easier for those interested to find you and what you post
• They are a great way to keep track of live events such as promotions, conferences, webinars etc. Creating a hashtag to be used during these specific times helps with networking and keeping others up to date on what is going on.
• It makes it easier for your target market to find you. Hashtags not only categorize your topics, but it helps your customers to find you. When they are searching specific hashtags for things that interest them, if you use the correct hashtag they can search through and find you and your relevant and informative content. 
• Gain new followers. Although hashtagging isn't necessarily directly related to an increase in followers it can be a great success. Those who happen to fall upon one of your tweets while searching a specific hashtag may be interested in the content you are putting out and want to stay up to date with your happenings, so they'll choose to follow you. 

There are right and wrong ways to use hashtags. Using it the right way can be very beneficial for promoting your brand and gaining credibility. Using hashtags incorrectly can cause frustrating results. We will discuss this in our next blog post so stay tuned!

Employees and Social Media

Each employer has different policies and recommendations when it comes to social media. Here at Evoke Creative Group we encourage the use of social media to our employees. It stands behind our belief that customers build a more trusting relationship when they can relate to the people behind the product. 

If you're a little bit apprehensive about employees and their free reign on social media, here are a few things you can speak with your employees about to ensure you're on the same page:

1. Expressing that their opinion is their own: If employees are posting and conversing about industry related topics, it's best that they make it very clear that what they are saying is their own opinions and does not reflect on the opinions of your business.

2. Personal sharing of co-worker/customer information: Sharing photos or any type of proprietary information without others permission or that goes against company privacy policy should not be shared via social media. Make sure employees are aware of your privacy policy.

3. Personal vs. Professional: It is an idea to have your employees have a separate professional account for conversing with consumers or discussing any business or industry related stuff. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts about employees and social media. Feel free to tell us on twitter @evokebuzz!

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.

Social Media Made Easy

With so many social media sites out there it's hard to keep track of what you use each one for. Well, no need to wonder anymore. Evoke is happy to share a fun, easy guide created by Blog Tyrant. A simplified look into the social media mind:

Be sure to take a look at the rest of the blog for step by step tips!

Social Media Tools Your Should Be Using

When we think of social media what comes to mind? YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter of course. However; contrary to popular belief, there are other social media sites that your business can use. These sites can also help businesses promote their brand and spread the word to new and existing customers. What are they you might ask? We will tell you!

Four Square- With the recent release of a business app,

businesses can now keep track of what is going on right 

on their mobile phone. You can post updates, run specials, 

see check ins and more. It’s a great site to offer incentives 

and drive traffic.

Flickr- a great site for storytelling through pictures. You can use Flickr to show your products in interesting ways, share compelling photos or your history, location, culture etc.

Blogging- Blogging is a great way to use SEO to

drive traffic to your website. It’s also a great way

for you as a business owner to stay up to date with 

the current trends and technology within your industry. 

Some suggestions of domains would be squarespace, 

wordpress and blogger, just to name a few.

What types of social media do you love that have been successful for your business?

Social Media Tips for Business

With the popularity of social media on the rise, creating an effective social media campaign is on the fore front of many businesses minds. However; where to start and how to implement a successful campaign can be overwhelming for those who aren't familiar with it. Here are 4 social media tips all businesses should know.

• Keep Content Interesting:  A Facebook timeline or twitter feed is saturated with posts so you want to make sure that yours stands out. The use of  images, videos and links that are relevant to your brand and worth seeing can help get your customers attention. 
• It's Not Always About Sales: Saturating social media with promotions and sales posts will deter customers from returning to your social media pages. No one wants to be bombarded with constant sales pitches. Be sure to limit the amount of times per week these posts are made. 
• Behind the Scenes: The more consumers know about your business the better. Building trust and familiarity between your customer and your brand can create customer retention. Posting about your employees, daily activities and customer appreciation are just a few things you can do to show who you are and that you care.
• Ask for Customer Interaction: Asking customers to "Like" your post on Facebook or retweet on twitter are simple ways to expand your customer reach and keep your customers active. It could be as simple as "Like this if you have plans on this beautiful Sunday" to asking to retweet if they love the product they bought from you. 

What Your Customers Wish You Knew

We came across this article on Social Mouths the other day and just had to share it with all of you as I think it touches on very beneficial points all businesses need to know. We are obviously partial to number 7 (wink wink). Hope you find this as informative as we did!

Do You Know Your Customers? Here Are 10 Things THEY Want You To Know About Them 

• How can you apply that kind of personalization in your communications with your customers?

• How something like this can improve those relationships?

• How can you integrate personalization into your social media strategy?

How well do you know your customers? Do you know them as well as they know your business or brand?

In today’s business economy, sales don’t come as easy as they used to. We deal with a much more educated consumer that wants to become familiar with your product or services as well as your competitors before committing.

And sometimes one small thing you say or do, or don’t… can trigger a new sale or make a customer happy. Or the other way around, of course.

But if you don’t know your customers…

This Infographic by Help Scout (and research by my friend Gregory Ciotti) is not completely related to social media, even better, it reflects some of the things you need to know about your customers way before you jump on social media to start communicating.

If we fully understand these points, it will be much easier to implement a way of communicating with customers, focused on satisfaction. In social media and any other channels.

In other words the formula is: Business goals first, then social media to help you reach those goals

Example

My favorite is #2, Personalization. I remember my dad used to love this particular restaurant. The interesting part to me however, was how the feeling was mutual, the minute he walked in there, everybody from the host, to the waiters to the chef will say hi to him using his name with an automatic smile on their faces. I was impressed and I know for him those details were important.

Start by knowing your customers better

Infographic courtesy of Help Scout. Research by Gregory Ciotti