3 Ways to Engage Your Customers through social media

As social media marketing becomes increasingly popular each day, small business owners must know how to successfully engage their potential customers. Just having a facebook or twitter page is simply not enough. In order to have social marketing success you must engage and empower your customer. There are many ways to engage and connect with social media users, however here are three of the most important social media engagement tips.

First you must monitor and respond to customer questions, comments & complaints. With social media marketing now prominent in everyday life, we need to remember that more then ever customer opinions matter. Not only do they matter, but its getting easier and easier to share and publicize good and bad opinions.

What this means for you as a small business owner, is you have the chance to use those good comments and questions as "good" publicity, as well as changing those bad comments or complaints into good experiences. This is why it is so crucial to keep up with your social media sites and engage the customers, good and bad. If you do get a bad comment or complaint make it public that you would like to try and fix things for the customer, show them (and everyone else) that your business does care.

Another way to engage your customers online is by making sure to interact with them deeper than just responding to comments.  Ask your customers to share their options and encourage responses.  One great way to engage your customers in a fun setting is by using polls, voting and contests. Everyone enjoys knowing that their opinion matters, and most people will be happy to give it when asked correctly.  Make it fun and entertaining for your customers.


Finally don't forget to request personal experiences relating to your business.  Remember this is part of what social media networks are designed for, sharing, networking and interacting.  Ask them for pictures or stories about using your product or service.  Let them share their experience with a review page or even a discussion forum.  Do something fun like customer of the month or something, feature them on your page with their story and interaction with your business.

Overall the main goal is to remember to keep the customers feeling important and entertained.   Engaging your customer online is crucial to having a successful social media fan page or site. So don't forget that the customers are important, and that every interaction is public which means it can impact your company positively or negatively.  Its up to you to choose!

Tiffany Mechling

Mechling Marketing Owner

www.mechlingmarketing.com

5 Major Facebook Marketing Mistakes for Small Business

We all have heard that facebook and most social network sites are great for business marketing, but why is your page not helping you?  Many small business owners struggle when it comes time to set up, or manage their facebook business page and don't end up seeing the desired results.  So with that said I have gathered together some of the major marketing mistakes that small business owners tend to make on facebook.

1. It seems that the number one major facebook mistake is not investing enough time into your page.  Facebook marketing isn't and over night success type of deal.  Its not a magical tool you set up and overnight have great marketing achievements.  It takes time.  Facebook marketing success, especially for small businesses takes some effort.

2. With that being said the next major marketing mistake facebook users make is not having new, updated and interesting content.  You can have all the fans you want on a page but if the business owner doesn't have a reason for you to check out the page, comment or follow up with them then most fans become dormant.    Keep things interesting for your fans.

3. Along with keeping your business facebook page interesting, you need to make sure and engage the consumer.  Small business owners often make the mistake of talking at their facebook fans, not with them.  With facebook marketing owners should remember to keep fans 'in the loop' when it comes to their business. Post your business's sales or coupons, ask questions of your customers, hold contests, and share stories of success and overcoming trials.

4. Don't spam.  As a consumer yourself, you know how it feels when someone posts spam messages on you website, blog or facebook account, usually its never a good thing.  Customers are not on facebook for spam, they don't want you to bombard them with unwanted information and "crap messages" about your company... many times these attempts turn customers off.  As for myself, if someone posts spam on my site it makes me not want to do business with them.

5. Finally don't make the mistake of using your business facebook page for your personal content.  Some small business owners tent to mix their personal and company pages, posting personal stuff on their company facebook page.  Its ok if you want your facebook business site to feel laid back and friendly, but know where to draw the line of friendly and too personal.

Tiffany Mechling
Mechling Marketing Owner
www.mechlingmarketing.com

Venturing into the marketing world

My self guided path to business marketing


So for years now, on and off I have been doing marketing and social media management for a number of small businesses and people, however just recently decided to take my talent and go public.  This blog will be a compilation of tips and tricks for marketing, running a small business,  my everyday trials of the marketing industry as well as personal comments about current media news and events.

Hopefully you will all enjoy this!

Let me start by writing a little about myself.

I am a proud navy wife of almost three years who recently relocated to the Hampton roads area of Virginia. Originally my husband and I both come from Northern California where we met, fell in love and got married all before he joined the service.  Finally I decided that it was time that I stop looking for job after job (with each move) and needed to put my skills to good use.
Before I decided to start this company up I would spend my free time helping out friends with different small companies; photography businesses, makeup services, a dog walking business and do their marketing for them. I did everything from building their web pages to posting ads and flyers, and managing some of their facebook/twitter accounts, and came realized that this was something I was not only good at but loved to do.
Since then I have started my journey as a small business owner and social media managing specialist, so please enjoy my blog, comment, and let me know if you have questions.
Thank you,
Tiffany Mechling
Mechling Marketing Owner
www.mechlingmarketing.com