Four Additional Social Media Tools

No doubt, there is a smorgasbord of social media tools out there for small businesses.  I feel like social media has really democratized the entrepreneurial field.  With a bit of internet savvy, now almost anyone can launch a business.

In reviewing the additional tools, two stood out as additional vehicles appropriate to promote 'Manvolution'. I know this assignment asked for four, but with some many SM options available, I feel like focused efforts on specific platforms will yield me better results versus a shotgun approach.  To that effect, I will explain why I didn't pick some of the SM options, and then explain how I will incorporate the ones that I did select.

Not Ready for prime time...

Groupon.  The deep discounting requirements of Groupon would water down my perceived value.  If I start off with Groupon offers, I've already discounted the reference price for my service to a level that inhibits my ability to execute a premium-priced service.  I also feel like Groupon works best for retail locations that are looking to drive off-peak business traffic.  No go on Groupon.  Same approach for Living Social.  I don't want to start off my business with discounting. 

LinkedIn.  Granted, there are personal trainers (about 1,000) and individual nutritionists (about 7) on LinkedIn.  But I don't feel this is where my customer is going to find a personal trainer/nutritionist.  People come to LinkedIn to find business-related contacts.  Personal Training and Fitness is outside of the business sphere, as it is a personal service an individual chooses for themselves - like cosmetic laser surgery or even plastic surgery.  

There are some fitness / nutrition groups I could join on LinkedIn, but I feel like the better places to connect are the industry-recognized organizations such as the American Council on Exercise and the Center for Integrative Health.  No go on LinkedIn.

 

Add to the Mix...

Yelp.  Let's face it, any savvy shopper of services is going to check them out on Yelp before purchase.  Having a presence on yelp is more of a mandate than an option.  If you are a service-oriented business, there is nothing to keep customers from reviewing your business.  Restaurants, haircuts, spas...all are on yelp and all of them know the importance of maintaining high review standings on yelp.  Being in the service business (personal training / nutrition), my standing on yelp matters.  The quality and objectivity of yelp reviews (being that they are self-reported) can be disputed.  I would likely test some advertising on Yelp as advertisers seem to fare better on yelp review scores.  I could also further integrate Yelp into my social media strategy by encouraging customers to post positive reviews of my business - perhaps by offering a free swag item such as a branded water bottle.  

Google Plus (Circles).  Google Circles is a great tool that can assist me with creating an online community of support for my clients.  Using Google Circles, I could add value to my personal training services by offering weekly call ins where clients call in, perhaps doing a weigh in, and then fielding a Q&A forum on that week's call-in topic (ex:  how to eat healthy while dining out or traveling).  Limiting the google circle forums to 15 minutes would enable me to rotate more customers through (10 max each forum).  In an hour, I could conduct four forums and connect with 40 clients.

Regarding google maps - right now my business is home-based and operating out of a PO box.  I don't want to placeholder a location that is not a physical business.  And I don't want to use my personal home address for privacy reasons.  So for now, no google maps location.

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N. 

Using Social Media without spending A dime!

Here's some quick tips on how you can use social media without spending a dime!

• Instagram:  Free to post
• Facebook:  Also free to post.  You can engage when people comment
• Twitter:  You can post, retweet and send direct messages
• YouTube:  You can post videos for free

I think the key is to get the customer acquisition where they step off the social media site and interact with you directly.  Capturing the prospect's email ensures a direct link to the customer and removes the reliance on the third-party SM Network to interact with the prospect.  N

Social Media Ads I responded to

Here are the SM ads I responded to:

Jessica Ipina
Gracie Morgan
Becky Beamer:

Nathan Scharff

1 second ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Great visuals!  Well written.  I do think this blog post might be a bit too long for an advertising piece.  But then again, I'm no expert.  Maybe a tighter target audience to start would help you focus your message further.  What type of business vs. final consumer demographics are your target?

Nathan Scharff said...

Jessica, perhaps for the holidays you could have an add on green ways to do Holiday Lighting around the home. Sponsored ads with the right keywords could be effective here. N

1 comment:

1. 
   Nathan ScharffNovember 14, 2013 at 6:27 PM

   Hi Becky. I think there's a niche for small business owners who are not social media savvy. I think FB likes are a good start. The trick is going beyond likes and getting the prospect's email so you can market to them directly. Maybe some email bait like a free marketing tip for their small business if they give you their email....

   ReplyDelete

Week 11 Likeable Social Media

Playing around with Facebook was a fun exercise.  I've seen my fiance have great success with Facebook advertising as a way to generate attendees to her special events (health and nutrition training seminars).

For my business idea (Manvolution), I'm going to focus on Facebook.  Their ability to segment and target your customer is unmatched by other SMN's.  To that effect, I created two sample ads, which are posted further below in this post.

Reasoning:  My target is family men ages 45+ who want to regain their mojo, lose some weight, and feel vibrant again.  Since I am in the personal health coach business, I will be targeting my immediate area (Encinitas).  The zip code I will pull from is 92024.  I will only target MEN, ages 45+, with families.  I will pull activities and interests that signal they have children (YMCA members or friends of local school facebook pages).

Timing:  My ads will focus on healthy eating during the holidays.  Ad one will offer a "Free Pantry Raid", where I will make a personal visit to the client's home to educate them on healthy shopping and meal planning.  Ad two will be email bait to capture the prospect's email.  This ad will offer a free guide on how to eat healthy during the holidays.

Budget:  I will spend $10 a day for 2 week periods - testing each ad offer to see which has a higher response rate.

Note:  My ads are simple - I didn't want to 'publish' my ads to my site so I have attached screen shots of the general concept.

Effectiveness:  I think these ads will be effective because they are hitting at the right time - the holidays.  I'm promoting offers that are compelling to my target during this holiday period.  My goal is to get either direct face time with potential customers, or their email so I can market to them directly.  These two ads pursue that goal.  Running each ad for two weeks and comparing which offer type is more effective will help me refine my advertising strategy as I go forward.  Limiting my budget to $10 a day for a two week window ensures I don't run over budget too quickly.

N.

Blogs I've Commented On (Week 10)

Fisher, Dee Marie

Webster, Mella

Spector, Alexandria

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! News, News, Newsletters!

I really enjoyed reading this lecture on email marketing / newsletters, and I see many applications for my 'Manvolution' business idea. I have some familiarity with Constant Contact as an email management tool, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.

I think email marketing is particularly important in the online marketing toolbox of strategies.  The simple fact is, until you have a prospect's email, you don't have a direct link to them.  All the social media 'likes' and 'followers' are through a third-party SMN site. Until you have that prospect's email, you can't communicate with them directly.

My email strategies will focus on Sales Generating and Relationship Building.  Frankly, I'm unconvinced about the power of a newsletter.  I've never read one and find them too voluminous for computer reading. But I'm open to learning!

To address the assignment questions, the specifics regarding my newsletter for Manvolution are as follows:

Information:
My content areas will follow the content platforms I outlined in my blog strategy:

• Nutrition
• Relationships
• Exercise
• Attitude
• Stress Reduction
• Local activities/events (San Diego market only)

Frequency:

Monthly distribution feels right.  That is a realistic frequency that I can execute.  Too often, and my subscribers will tune out.

Content Ideas:

See the list above under 'information'.

Good Blog Sites to Emulate for My Business (Manvolution)

After doing some research, I found the following blog sites to be good benchmarks to follow. All of them are in the health/wellness/fitness category.  Key components of their success include:

Personality.  The personality of the blogger is front and center
Pictures.  The blogger uses their own photography  instead of stock photos
Content.  The content matches and in fact expands their personality.  Fun, punchy copy and catchy headlines abound.

I want to follow these benchmark blog examples with my blog posts.

http://kriscarr.com/blog/

http://www.sarachristensen.com/

http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/