Social Media Marketing: 10 Fresh Topics

Many small business people jump on word of mouth and the social media bandwagons only to experience a dead batter on the bandwagon pretty quickly.

The newsletters, tweets and status updates come fast and furious for a week or two and then either fizzle out or becoming highly repetitive. It is important to keep your messages fresh and interesting in order to increase your followers, keep them interested, and encourage them to tell others about your messages.

With that in mind, here are some jump starts for the dead battery on your bandwagon: ten terrific topics that you can use in most types of media.

1. Take a question that gets asked in store and answer it online (or somewhere in your store). If a customer asks if you carry a certain brand, answer ‘yes’ and give a bit more information about what you carry. If you don’t carry the brand, answer ‘no’ with an explanation or a recommendation on where someone can purchase it.

People will see that you are open to answering questions, which can get them to ask their own questions, and then you’ve started some great conversations.

2. Notice what your customers are purchasing, select a popular offering,  and promote that  product or service as the ‘spotlight product of the week’. Give a bit more information about it, specifically why people like it, and invite others to share why they like the product.

3. In the same vein, ask your staff for their picks on a product or service you offer that they love. Have a weekly staff pick with an in store sign and promote it in your online media with employee testimonials.

4. Highlight the achievement of one of your employees, either for a job based achievement or a personal achievement. Did an employee set a sales record? Go above and beyond on customer service? Run his or her first marathon? Celebrate that and give a ‘face’ to your store.

5. Talk about upcoming events both in your store and in your community. Non-profit organizations can always use a little extra help, and it says good things about your business when you help out others. Plus the community group can share your message with its network, thus starting the word of mouth effect.

6. Announce a new product that you’re carrying, or a new service that you offer. If you can, include a link to a photograph or to a demonstration. People learn visually, and also like to pass along pictures and videos. It’s a lot easier than writing a product description.

7. If you decorate for a holiday (Halloween is coming!), take a picture and post or link to it. Ask others to post their photos celebrating the holiday as well. After the holiday, post your favorite images from the day (costumes, wrapped gifts, etc).

8. Provide tips on how to use a product someone purchases at your store. The UK store Liberty of London has a blog devoted to the many ways one can tie a scarf. It’s fun and entertaining, and it becomes a customer resource.

9. Respond quickly to customer questions or comments, even if it isn’t related to your store.

10. Look outside. People love to hear about the weather. Match the weather to something you sell if at all possible, or offer a weather-related discount. On a rainy day, for example, offer 10% off a single product if the sun appears!

How do you keep your social media marketing messages fresh?

– Kim