by Andrea Bordelon BCPP
Arrgghhh! Do I have to? No, but it might be fun!
When it comes to social media, people love it, hate it, are confused by it, and find it a bit overwhelming. Regardless of whatever platform you pick or have a presence on many, there are many advantages to being active and marketing on social media. Gaining access to an audience that will read and comment on your content, collecting email addresses for newsletter blasts, monitoring competitors activity, industry pages and keeping up with the current techniques and information is good for your business. Since there are so many to choose from, I am going to focus on Facebook for this article. These strategies apply to other social media platforms.
Professional Facebook Page – once a page has 30 fans, the name cannot be changed, so make sure it is one that is adaptable, reflects your business model and generates curiosity. The name of your business is the most obvious, but not necessarily the rule.
Keep your personal page and professional page separate – need I say more?
Spotlight others on your business page – people and pages you admire, that have helped or taught you, or are in alignment with your mission. Give credit where credit is due.
Scheduling – make it super easy for your clients to schedule with you. There are many online scheduling platforms that interface with Facebook and are easy to plug in. The less steps your client has to take to schedule an appointment the easier it is on both of you.
Engage your audience – talk about tradeshow events, save real time photos, review products or services on your page, share interesting videos, tips, and educational material. Ask questions. Post surveys to get your audience talking back to you, we love to get and give feedback, right? Prepare your Polarity specials two months ahead for holidays. Also, showcasing your community by posting about the local points of interest, places to eat, or local events happening will build interest in your neighborhood.
Do a Facebook Ad – it’s a lot easier than it sounds and cheaper than Google. Facebook as made a lot of advancements in their ad department and guide you step by step through the whole process. I was a sceptic at first, having always invested in Google Ads, but my graphic designer suggested it and I was pleasantly surprised. You can spend as much or as little as you want and it effectively targets people looking for what you want in your area. I’m sure you have already seen the effects of targeted marketing when you look for something, why not use that to your advantage?
Don’t overwhelm yourself by doing everything at once. Running an effective campaign is learning about each platform and how to get the most out of it. Having a presence on a few, does require a lot of time and effort to keep them relevant and effective. What often happens is people will create a presence online and then don’t have the time to keep it up to reach their intended audience or give up entirely and do nothing. Set a schedule for yourself each week or day to update or post.
Next month: Lets look at Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest! As always, I am at your service. If you need help with setting up a platform or if you have any other questions, you can reach me at director.bordelon@polaritytherapy.org
Andrea Bordelon, BCPP
APTA Marketing Chair