Five Tips For Marketing Startups Using Social Media

If you are using Twitter and Facebook, then you are in the social media game. But there is more to leveraging the power of social media than merely communicating on these two networks. While social media on its own isn’t a slam dunk in terms of an effective and well-balanced marketing strategy, it does offer an excellent way to get creative with that strategy. 

Many businesses are incorporating social media into their consumer outreach campaigns and seeing amazing results. Yet, it is the most creative uses of social media that reap the most benefits. 

Here are five awesome ways you can step out of the box and make the most of your social media campaign: 

1) Offer virtual gifts

You’ve seen Facebook users give virtual hugs, virtual flowers or other intangible tokens of appreciation; why not use the concept to boost your sales? It worked for Cold Stone Creamery. The ice cream franchise was one of the first to roll out the virtual eGift Social Marketplace program by First Data. 

The app allowed Facebook users to buy gift certificates directly from the Cold Stone Creamery fan page and essentially buy one of their friends ice cream by sending them the virtual gift through Facebook or email. The friend could then redeem the gift by visiting an offline Cold Stone Creamery and presenting a printout of the provided code or flashing it from a mobile device. The viral part happens when an announcement of the eGift appears in the recipients Facebook feed for other friends to see. 

This concept can work with a variety of businesses. If you stretch your creativity you can find lots of ways a virtual gift can benefit your business and boost sales.

2) Use video

Growing your Facebook following or just giving a bit of personality to your site video is where it’s at. For Facebook you can create an alternative landing tab with an embedded video by you that explains what potential fans can expect when they “Like” your page.

Additionally, you can also embed a useful or interesting video on your page, something others will be inclined to re-post on their own pages. When you embed a video, Facebook will include a white watermark hotlink to the top of your video that links back to your page, so when others re-post your video, everyone will know where it originated. It’s a great way to help your videos go viral.

3) Use Skype to create useful content to give away on your website

People like free stuff, but often it’s time consuming to develop content to give away. Skype has some built-in functions that you may have tried during calls, like the ability to share documents or a computer screen. But have you ever thought about recording that call and using that information as a learning tool for others? 

How about giving out free training over Skype? Offer 15-minute session with a bit of advice and record the call to provide to the potential client afterward. It will serve as a reminder of the information you provided in the call, but also keep you top of mind when they return to the recording to review the information. When you email the recording to the potential client, remind them of your full services if they should want to follow up with you later. 

4) Get vertical

You may already have a blog that talks about your industry and what you do. Blogs are fantastic for driving people to your website when people find your posts informative. Those posts should help your potential customers address a problem to which they are seeking a solution. That wins their loyalty and eventually their business. 

Take the blog concept a step further and start a vertical blog or two. A vertical is a blog that is related to your industry but niche specific. For example, if you are a website designer and you run a blog about web design, consider starting a blog on blog design. It’s a similar field, but you’ll get visitors who are looking for blog design and not necessarily website design. In essence, you are bringing in potential customers through the back door. 

5) Use forums to engage a community.

Right now there could be thousands of potential customers wanting the services you provide. In fact, they are asking questions that you can likely answer. But most business owners pass up the opportunity to engage these potential customers. Don’t neglect this prime opportunity to get involved and show your expertise. 

Chances are there are forums in your industry. Don’t just push your services, but. get active in these forums and genuinely participate. Interacting with others and being helpful is the best way to establish yourself as an expert.

With so many social media networks out there, don’t just take them at face value. Think outside the box and use them creatively to help you and your company stand out in the social media crowd.

Do you have great startup marketing tips to share? Let me know below or tweet at me @misstrendchaser 

 

Why Social Media Is Here To Stay

The funny thing about social media is that, unlike traditional marketing campaigns, there is no beginning and there is definitely no end. Campaigns are limited because, at some point, the postcards will stop being delivered and the commercials will stop airing. There is a sunset on campaigns if you will, while social media provides endless opportunities to get your brand out there.

Here are a few reasons why social media marketing is here to stay:

1) Social Media Is a Function, Not a Campaign

Too many freelancers think of social media as a campaign, something that will be turned on then turned off at a later point. Social media needs to become another department in your organization—whether you develop it in-house or contract it out.
 
2) You Wouldn’t Just Stop Doing Accounting

If you think of social media in these terms, then you already get it. Platforms may come and go (remember Myspace?), but the act of social media marketing is here to stay.
Many consumers use social media to evaluate your entire business. Have less followers than your competition? There must be something wrong with you. Don’t have as many likes as the company down the street? You must not be worth doing business with.
 
3) Timing Is Everything 


 The problem with social media and your business is this: The longer you wait, the longer you think that social media is just a fad—the sooner your business is going to go under.
Let’s jump into our time machine and go back 10 years. You put off the idea of getting a website because you thought the Internet was a fad. You assumed that your clients or customers weren’t online. You were wrong.
Once you stop measuring the impact of social media in days or weeks or months, and start appreciating what it can do for you in the years to come, the better positioned your business will be to survive. 

What challenges and opportunities do social media present for your organization? Share your thoughts with me in comments.