“Hitching Up to the Web” for Greater Marketing Success

 

When it comes to online marketing, people rarely expect anyone but power players and mail order retailers with customer bases scattered across the far reaches of the globe to take to the field. The last type of company you’d expect to find positioning themselves to create an online presence is one like the Hitch House of Atlanta.

After all, how could a locally owned and operated business whose primary service is installing hitches on vehicles possibly benefit in cyberspace? They don’t exactly fit the mold of the legions of tech savvy startups and online shops that you’d expect to come across during an afternoon of web surfing.

But, that’s the beauty of it. The Hitch House is just one of hundreds of locally owned and operated businesses that are taking to the web to expand their existing customer base through the help of Atlanta Social Media Marketing.

How Can Brick and Mortar Companies Leverage an Online Presence?

One of the ways that brick and mortar businesses are using the Internet to grow their customer base is through the simple use of email. Far beyond simply offering an alternative method for your customers to get a hold of you during after-hours and weekends, the use of email newsletters can serve multiple purposes:

·        Promote forthcoming sales and specials. Getting the word out to your customer base through traditional channels like mail and expensive advertisements can be costly and puts you in jeopardy of spending more money than you actually stand to gain. Through the use of well-timed email campaigns, all that’s required is to send a single email message to your entire mailing list, and you’ve already achieved net-zero expenses.

·        Offer your customers an incentive to pay you a visit. Coupons have always encouraged business, but they cost money to print and you can never be certain if they’ll get read or “round filed” with the rest of the junk mail in the mailbox.

·        Remind your customers to shop with you. As long as your email marketing tactics aren’t too heavy handed and don’t border on repetitious, the occasional e-newsletter is a good way of simply saying, “Hi there, we’re still here.” You’d be surprised at how well that works.

All of this begs the question: How do I get my customers’ email addresses? By far the best method of doing this is to let them come to you. Having a website with frequently updated information about your services is the perfect place to insert an unobtrusive, but tastefully, prominent data field where visitors can opt-in to your e-newsletter.

Naturally, building a website and maintaining a mailing list on your own can be time consuming and complicated. If you’re not sure how to start, look for a company that specializes in helping you do just that. If you’re not keen on putting your business in the hands of a marketing company 3000 miles away, there are companies nearby that offer these services as well. Atlanta Social Media Marketing is a locally operated business that can you up and running with a website, an email mailing list, and a social media profile in no time. For more information, check out our other entries about how we work with clients at Flyline Search Marketing.

                 

Some Do's and Don’ts for Social Media Marketing Beginners

 

There are many businesses in the Atlanta area that are eager to hop on the social media marketing bandwagon. 

But, jumping aboard a speeding boxcar has its fair share of hazards, and not everyone who wants to take advantage of the social media revolution to grow their business is adequately equipped to ensure they don’t wind up missing the mark altogether. 

Think about these do's and don'ts as you get started with social media marketing.

Do… start your own blog

This suggestion has a tendency to illicit groans of displeasure, especially from those who look on writing as a chore they’d rather not have to partake in. But, think about it – without a blog that actually offers your social media followers something to sink their proverbial teeth into (as opposed to their actual teeth) all you’re really doing is posting links. That’s not what social media’s really about.

Don’t… rely solely on Twitter posts and Facebook updates

Going hand in hand with the aforementioned need to start your own business blog is the admonition that your message could fall on deaf ears if you limit the extent of your social media presence to a 140-character length Twitter post here or a 420-character length Facebook status update there. A social media strategy thrives on content, and these platforms are too limiting to be your sole channels for your social media strategy.

Do… market yourself to people who don’t like to read

If computer monitors were as easy on the eyes as, say, a newspaper or a magazine, you wouldn’t need to think about offering up alternatives to text-based posts. But they’re not, and you do. The best way to do this is to create a video version of your blog posts using some basic images and narration, and post them to YouTube or Vimeo. It doesn’t hurt to have a professional look about, but it’s not entirely necessary either. These free video posting sites also let you link back to your social media platforms, increasing your exposure.

Don’t… force it

The best social marketing campaigns happen organically and require no forcing on your part. If you try to ram your message down people’s throats, or spend every minute of every spare hour you have posting one update after another, you’ll end up chasing people away. 

Your best bet is to leave the occasional tasty morsel out and let your online followers come to you when they’re hungry. Hey, if it works with squirrels, it’s bound to work with people.