Six Rules For Keeping Your Social Audience Connected

As we have said before, social media marketing is essential to building your brand and growing your customer base. The key to successful social media marketing is to keep your audience tuned-in and engaged with your brand. Here is a refresher on the six rules for keeping your social audience connected. 

1.  Know Your Target Market: The foundation of any successful social media plan is understanding your target audience. Generally, your social media audience should reflect your target customer base. Knowing what interests and influences your audience will help you provide them with relevant content.
2.  Balance Your Range of Content: While it may seem like the purpose of using social media is to talk about your products or services, your audience does not want to feel like they are constantly being pitched to. Research conducted by Convince & Convert shows that companies that post about themselves or link to their website only 25-50% of the time have the highest conversion rates. Developing a wide variety of content to share is a great way to keep your followers tuned-in. In addition to posting about your business, you can share industry related news, short videos or infographics. Starting a two-way conversation with your audience by asking open-ended questions or taking polls is a great way to engage.
3.  Be Consistent: Actively using your social media platforms is an important factor in achieving your desired results. It is a common mistake for businesses to create accounts and either post sporadically or not at all. Inconsistent posting on social sites can reflect that a brand is out of touch with their audience or undependable. According to Socialbakers, posting less than twice a week will not engage your audience enough to maintain a social connection. Some platforms, such as Twitter or Instagram that have fast moving feeds require more frequent posting. Consistent interaction and responding to followers is also crucial to compelling your audience.
4.  Stay On-brand: One of the most challenging aspects of social media marketing is making sure your that your digital messaging coincides with your brand identity. From the content you post to the tone used in comments, all of your social interactions need to agree with your brand’s voice and messaging. Your social media voice should reflect who you are talking to. If your brand targets a younger audience you may use an upbeat and informal tone, while a high-end, exclusive brand would require a more professional dialogue.
5. Be Interactive: Social media is about maintaining an active conversation with your audience. Give your follower an opportunity to contribute and always respond promptly. Consumers feel a stronger connection to a brand that they have interacted with online. According to Bain & Company, consumers spend 20% more with companies they have engaged with on social media.
6. Analyze and Modify Your Content: Through analyzing your social data, you will be able to determine what content interests and engages your audience. Some social sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest offer their own analytics pages for businesses to track and measure their impact. According to Gleanster, 96% of top performing companies analyze their social media results to better their social performance. Analyzing your results is a necessary step in creating content your audience enjoys.

The Art of Engagement

Social media has become a marketing machine and, like every machine, operating without direction can have disastrous results. The most important direction: don’t just promote, but engage. How? We’ll start with the two most popular social networks: Facebook and Twitter, which have 1.11 billion and 218 million active users, respectively.

Facebook  

Just a few years ago, businesses balked at using Facebook. Today, 15 million brands have active pages. Clearly, not all of them are successful but those who are have some similar tactics to engage their desired audiences.

Pictures - It’s always been said that a picture is worth a thousand words and this goes for Facebook posts as well. 93% of Facebook posts gain the most attention, like and comments, when there is a photo involved. Facebook also now offers the option of commenting using a photo rather than limiting you to text. This tool is especially helpful for posts that receive multiple comments, as it allows your comment to stand out from the chatter. Bright and colorful photos that depict human interaction, will personalize your page as well as draw attention

Videos- The only thing that may be better than a photo is a video. Videos leave less for the imagination and anything with a play button grabs attention. When videos are incorporated into a post it gets 100% more engagement than if it were to be just text or a photo. It is obvious that watching a video takes more attention than browsing pictures so it is important to entice the audience: make sure to have an eye-catching default frame, keep it short, and keep it simple.

Give Back- People will always take advantage of free things. To keep fans interested, offer occasional sweepstakes, giveaways, coupons, or discounts. Two thirds of fans will “like” a brand or page on Facebook to be eligible for some sort of reward. 

Utilize Facebook Feedback- Facebook has evolved tremendously in terms of helping brands analyze and get the most out of their efforts. Facebook now highlights and points our which posts of yours reaches the most people and experiences the most engagement. Use this tool to take note of what kind of posts worked better than others. Also, watch for notifications of successful posts and promote them even further with Facebook’s ad programs. Asking questions to your followers is a great way to peak their interest, as well as dig deeper into what they are looking for. The trick to success in social networking is to encourage the opinions and comments of those who support your business or company.

 Twitter- Some still wonder: why have a micro-blogging social network limited to 140 characters or less, when you could have a blog with an unlimited amount of space? Well, for starters—no matter how fascinating you think your brand is, most people are not interested in reading an endless piece of writing to gain information. We live in an instant-gratification world, and Twitter has harnessed that mindset. Here are some secrets on how to increase favorites, retweets, mentions and follows that every brand craves.

Tweet relevance not advertising- When tweeting for a company or to promote a product or idea, stay away from simply tweeting facts about whatever it is you are marketing. Instead, it is crucial to be able to connect with the designated audience. Come across as not only knowing your product, but your industry as well. For example, if you are marketing for a clothing line, make sure to use those 140 characters to relate to existing or potential customers. Instead of tweeting the different styles of sweaters you offer , try: “Wow is it chilly this week or what?! I love sweater season!” with a picture of different sweaters you are selling this season. Most people can relate more to the fact that they need sweaters because it’s cold out than they can to your advertising copy.

Respond to your mentions - Well-known brands with many followers receive countless mentions each day. As time consuming as it is to give individual attention to all, it is important to respond to as many--if not all--tweets that come your way. This not only personalizes the relationship between the company and its followers, but also boosts your reputation. Many people will either respond back or retweet that their favorite company or person tweeted at them. Therefore you are reaching a much wider range than just that one follower.

Instagram –Instagram has about 150 million users, including 123 Fortune 500 companies. The Instagram team is constantly releasing updates to better this product and aid in the success of the users. Captions are used within the posts with no character limit, however this particular app really focuses on the visuals. There are specific strategies that companies can use to keep their followers interested.

Diversity- Instagram recently began allowing users to post not only pictures but video footage as well. One of the most important mindsets to have while deciding on posts is to keep your audience on their toes. If a shoe company posts a picture each day of a style they offer, this will bore the followers. Mix business related posts with fun posts as well. For example, Anthropologie posts pictures of their products they sell, but also posted a picture of a puppy one day that received 7,640 likes. These types of posts as well as “behind the scenes” pictures will create a more intimate relationship with followers, as well squash the idea of “all work no play” within the company.

Videos- Nothing personalizes a user or company more than video footage! Instagram now allows 15-second videos, eligible to be filtered, while Vine offers short videos that loop. Make use of video to announce upcoming events, promotions or changes within the company that would be of interest to your fans.

Utilize Connections – Take advantage of hashtags or other accounts as a gateway to your Instagram. Instagram provides the option to connect your other social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest and so on, with your Instagram. Therefore with one post you can reach multiple networks simultaneously.

Pinterest- Pinterest is all about photos with even shorter captions than used on Instagram. However, your followers can also be seen as your marketing team. When someone is to re-pin one of your original pins, it reaches a much broader spectrum of people. Re-pinning on Pinterest can be compared to retweeting on Twitter. Re-pinning puts your company or brand on the map for those who maybe have never heard of it, but follow someone who re-pins your posts.  

Pinning- Success with using Pinterest is based on the ratio of re-pins you receive. The average re-pin ratio is approximately .3%, therefore if you have 1000 followers, 3 of them will re-pin one of your posts. Like other social networks, repins cause a ripple effect.

Be Specific- At first glance, Pinterest can be overwhelming. It is important when organizing your boards to be specific with the contents of each. This will help those users who are looking for something particular, link to your pins when they are searching. Organization is key.

Engage Your Community – Make sure to comment on pins that have to do with your specific brand or message. Adding personality to your page by acknowledging your followers will only motivate them more to share your posts. Soon enough your dedicated followers are marketing and promoting your company as much as you are.

Successful Social Media Strategies for Restaurants

As we have said before, social media plays a key role in successful marketing plans for all luxury brands, but it is especially important for restaurants that face tough competition and rely on customer satisfaction. According to a recent study done by Forrester research, 90% of food industry executives agree that social media has completely changed the way consumers interact with their businesses. Social media is an excellent way for restaurants to build the identity of their brand, as well as engage their customers outside of the dining room. Here are some tactics that will help you in developing a successful social media strategy:

1.     Develop a Calculated Plan – The most successful social media campaigns start with selecting one overall message to deliver. All content should bridge back to that initial message.  It is important to understand your target market and know what engages them. The more your content is shared, the wider your audience becomes.

2.     Get Visual – What is more appealing than a photo of a delectable dish? According to socialbakers, photos make up 93% of the most engaging posts. With our client, ON20 we have found that our social media audience gives a greater response to visual posts, such as behind the scenes looks of Chef Lizotte in action or the restaurant’s breath-taking views of the Connecticut River.

  

Platforms that focus on visual content, such as Instagram and Pinterest have proven to be effective communicating tools for restaurants. Pinterest is a great way to build your restaurants identity by creating boards that relate to your brand. Show how your restaurant gives back by pinning pictures of a fundraiser you hosted. Instagram also has a visual appeal but is much more immediate.  Restaurants can snap photos of today’s most appetizing specials and instantly share them. Adding hash tags are a great way to build your following and reach people that you have never connected with before.

3.     Encourage Customers to Participate  – Posting about dining experiences has become a trend on social media. Restaurants should be encouraging to patrons to tweet about their experience, instagram a photo of their meal, or check in in on Facebook. There are many ways to influence customers to digitally interact with your restaurant. Adding QR codes to your menus and print materials are an excellent way to direct traffic to your social media. Contests are also a great way to engage customers.

4.     Use Industry Platforms - Leading platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are necessary components of a social media strategy, but there are also industry specific sites that are important to your digital brand as well. Foodspotting is a rising star when it comes to restaurant social media.  Recently acquired by OpenTable, the website and mobile app allows users to rate specific dishes that will appear on a local map. Restaurants can create accounts to promote their own dishes as well. Nombe, a San Francisco-based Japanese restaurant, has created customized recommendation guides and scavenger hunts on Foodspotting in order brand themselves and attract potential customers.

Many restaurants offer rewards or incentives for checking in through location-based platforms. AJ Bombers, a Milwaukee restaurant was able to drive sales up 110% through a foursquare promotion. When the restaurant’s Foursquare page featured a tip about the Barrie Burger, with no additional promotion or advertising, sales for the item grew 30% in the first week. AJ Bombers is now up to 15,000 check-ins. 

5.     Create an open dialogue – It is important to engage your audience, but it is also important for you to be engaged as well. Answering all comments and tweets shows authenticity and keeps fans involved in your social media. Live tweeting is great way to build lasting relationship with followers. Many restaurants have found success in live tweeting from special events. Using hash tags can help further the conversation and spread the word about specific campaigns.

Morton’s Steakhouse made national headlines when responding to a mid-air tweet, humorously requesting a Morton’s porterhouse steak upon arrival at Newark Airport. Morton’s responded to the tweet by sending a driver and full meal to the airport to meet the customer. While this may seem like an extravagant gesture, the story is still being talked about two years later.

In conclusion, when used efficiently social media can be a remarkable tool for engaging customers and generating new ones. Social media plays a fundamental role in brand identity and maintaining a dialogue with consumers. There is plenty of discussion of food in the digital world and you need to be a part of that conversation.

Older, Affluent Consumers Go Social

To get your target market to hear your brand message, you must be sharing that message in the places where you find your target market. Pretty basic business tenet? We thought so but, given how many small luxury brands are still neglecting social media in their marketing, apparently not as basic as we thought.

Recent reports show that social media usage continues to increases among wealthier and older Americans. Today, 68% of U.S. Internet users with incomes greater than $75,000 use now using social media.¹

Meanwhile, if you continue to buy into the “Facebook is for kids” myth, it’s long past the time to look at the facts:

• 77% of U.S. Internet users between 30 and 49 use social media.¹
• 52% of those aged 50 – 65 use social media. ¹ 
• 65% of college-educated U.S. Internet are active on social media sites.¹

Research also reveals that Facebook continues to be the most popular social tool, with 67% of U.S. Internet users logging on and staying active. Important for luxury brands to note: Facebook is being used by 73% of U.S. Internet users with an income greater than $75,000, making these wealthiest Americans the most active Facebook users.¹ 

Twitter meanwhile, continues to be the second most popular social networking site, and 32% of U.S. Internet users over the age of 30 are active on Twitter.¹

Finally, Pinterest continues to gain momentum, and is more likely to attract higher-educated, affluent women¹.

Still questioning social marketing, or just unsure of where to start? Let us help…

¹as reported by Pew Research Centre 

Social Media Lessons from 2012

They say history is the best teacher so, in planning client social media campaigns for the 2013, we're taking a look back at 2012. Perhaps the biggest news of the year was Facebook crossing the one billion user mark (with an older demographic continuing to be the fastest growing). That widely documented  feat was perhaps the year's best symbol of the overall growth and--more importantly--continually evolving nature of social networking. Here, we outline a few of the key things that 2012 taught us about social media for business...

Pinterest climbs up the social media pyramid. Pinterest has experienced more growth than any other form of social media this past year. According to techspot.com, Pinterest’s mobile visitors increased by an incredible 4,225% in 2012. There are many factors that contribute to the successful growth of this site. Namely: Pinterest is a sizable contributor to ecommerce, allowing brands to easily connect with their target markets by showing--not telling. Pinterest is visually oriented, which is proving to be more popular with mobile social media users.

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” The greatest social media trend of 2012 is by far sharing visual content. Social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest have found tremendous success by allowing users to primarily share images instead of text. Social networkers no longer want to read about what you are doing, they want to see what you are doing. The popularity of visual social media also results from a change in how users browse the web. Social media users are accessing sites via mobile applications more than ever. Even luxury brands are using sharing images through these visual social media sites. Tiffany & Co. uses Instagram to post snapshots of new pieces, ad campaigns and pictures in shades of Tiffany Blue.

The 2012 Presidential Election takes social media by storm. The 2012 presidential candidates took their campaigns digital; posting content in real time and creating an ongoing conversation with voters. Both the Obama and Romney campaigns used Facebook and Twitter to directly connect with their supporters. According to the Huffington Post, Barack Obama’s victory post was the most liked photo on Facebook of all time, receiving over 4 million “likes”. It is safe to say that social media has become an essential piece in the communications strategy of any business.

Mobile applications triumph over websites. Smartphones have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Instant access to the internet at any time or place has opened the door for numerous mobile applications for social networks. According to Google Insight, 79% of smartphone users have used their mobile device for help with shopping and 35% of users have made a purchases with their mobile devices. As a result, social media sites will have to strive to create the most functional and efficient mobile applications. In the fourth quarter of this year, Barneys New York has launched a newly optimized mobile site. The site features more efficient ways for consumers to filter and search for products, as well as the same personalized check out options featured on the Barneys website.