Get People Posting About Your Business on Social Media
The 21st Century Version of Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
We all know that a commendation from a happy client is one of the best forms of attracting new clients. We also know that through social media, commendations can spread rapidly and far beyond someone telling their neighbor. However, most small and medium businesses struggle to optimize their activities to make this happen. In this social media age, commendations can come from a wide variety of places, not just from someone who is happy with the product or service. A unique display, a special event, an unusual occurrence – these are the types of things which people photograph or record and share on social media. However, there are certain things that almost demand to be shared on social media and those are what we recommend you should use to make your business go “Local Viral” ie. To be shared online by people in your community.
Very few local businesses actually manage to use social media well. Some might manage to get a little bit of traction through sharing funny stories or popular internet images/videos, but these tend not to actually result in any additional clients or sales. The acquisition of “Likes”, “Shares”, “Followers” etc. has, for some, become the end goal or the sign of a successful campaign. It isn’t. Social Media Marketing, like all other marketing, needs to be judged on the resulting clients and sales it generates. Local businesses are not Big Brands who can invest thousands in brand awareness without needing any return on investment. This is why we are looking at ways to make Social Media actually work for you.
Instead of trying so hard to get people to like your page and posts, why not take advantage of the fact that each of your existing clients will have an average of 400-500 friends that they can share your business with?
Let’s focus on creating opportunities and items for people to photograph and share with their friends.
Give People Something to Talk About on Social Media
Take a look at your business. If you did not own it, is there anything visual there that you would take a picture of and share on your personal social media page? For the majority of businesses, the answer is no. This is such a missed opportunity and so now we are going to give you some ideas of simple things that you can do which will result in people sharing about your business.
Creative Ideas that entice photo-taking
- A funny character, either a person dressed up or a life-sized Graphic Image. Have you ever seen how many people take a picture of their kids with a Ronald McDonald Graphic Image?
- A small “Photo-Booth” area. This could be made seasonal with props or be a simple head-through-a-hole display.
- Having an attractive background to take photos in front of can be all it takes; see our Wall Graphics, Display walls or Pop-Up Displays for inspirational ideas, even for a smaller space.
- For any child-focused products, creating a space for them to try it first will almost always result in the parent taking a picture. Enhance the chances of this by creating a dedicated space with backgrounds, graphics and ensure that friendly staff encourage photo-taking. For more ideas on this, take a look at our Shop In Shop blog post.
Depending on your type of business, you can decide to have something which is quintessentially “yours” such as your own character etc, or you can create something completely random. Often, the more random or unusual, the better the response. Remember, the goal here is for people to share their pictures online so you can encourage this by creating a photo competition for a prize such as a shop voucher.
This is the type of thing that can really attract people and create a buzz about your company in the locality. Taking a little time, creating a plan of action and deciding on the best-looking props, backgrounds and signage for this can really pay off in the short, medium and long terms.
Check them out
Check out one of our clients, Creative Money, that takes social media sharing to the next level, using our canopies on the Warped Tour and special signs that we designed to get people excited about voting
Instagram: @ImDownToVote
Twitter: @ImDownToVote
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImDownToVote/
#ImDownToVote
Find Out More
At Colorado Canopies, we specialize in graphics, backgrounds and other solutions that make a splash. Contact us today to discuss the options and ideas mentioned above or any other ideas you have that we can help with.