Bringing your old school business up to the times.
Today in the business world, there is a big divide between old and new schools of thought. On a regular basis, we encounter entrepreneurs who have been in business for decades, who aren’t sure how to navigate the new world of marketing. How can Twitter get me new business, they ask, marveling at this “social media stuff.” Bringing these old school businesses up to the modern age is not easy. So after spending a lot of time thinking about how to tackle these types of clients, I decided that taking a simple approach is probably the easiest.
To start, I admire these business owners very much. They have been strong entrepreneurs for a long time, and I am by no means saying that they won’t continue to be successful by maintaining the status quo. However, it might be easier to find a new audience of consumers by expanding their approach to the digital sphere. So, if you are a small business owner who has never sent a Tweet, or hasn’t updated their website since the internet was invented, this post is for you.
How to get on board with that social media stuff.
1. Start small. Social media doesn’t have to be a massive investment upfront. Choose a few platforms that make sense for your business model. In most cases, Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are a good place to start. Then, make it a goal to post at least twice a week.
2. Map out your content. Remembering to update your social media accounts twice a week might sound daunting at best. So create an excel spreadsheet and map out what you want to say in advance. You can even schedule posts in advance through social media software like HootSuite (read more about the different posting platform options here). By planning it out in advance, it makes the process far less time consuming and much easier to manage.
3. Send a clear message. This is where it gets tricky for most people, but it doesn’t have to. Say what you want to say about your business in as simple terms as possible, without using a lot of industry jargon. Then, include a call to action so that people can sign up for your company newsletter, visit your website or purchase a product.
After that, the process for joining the online conversation is simple. Once the platform has been created, build and strengthen your social media platform from there. Maybe post promotions on the different social media channels, or share company news and custom written blog posts. Collect email addresses and contact information by driving people to your website. The difference will be noticeable and immediate. But it all starts with having a plan.
Yakkety Yak LLC is a Chicago-based full-service content marketing company that produces custom written content for businesses, including blogs, website copy, case studies, newsletters, social media marketing, public relations and more. We want to be an extension of your marketing team to help you connect to end users and decision influencers, based on the principle of one common voice, for one target audience. Ready to get started? Let’s Yak.
