Relationship Marketing Archives - Page 6 of 10

August 19, 2019
Relationship Marketing

#RelationshipsMatter – What is a Micro-Influencer?

If you follow social media, then you are no doubt familiar with the role that social media influencers play. The short description is that social media influencers are people who affect the decisions of others to purchase certain products. Social media influencers have become so powerful that many are now celebrities and have millions of followers. There is another class of influencers that you should know about, and those are micro-influencers.

It’s a common misconception that to be a social media influencer; you have to have millions of followers. Of course, that doesn’t hurt, but there is a group of influencers who, like their more famous counterparts, are important: Micro-Influencers. These people have far fewer followers and aren’t celebrities. Instead, they are usually everyday people who hold influence in a niche. They may not have many followers, but the followers they do have are very engaged, and they trust the person to give them good advice on products and services.

For a small business, the big social media influencers may be out of reach, but it is possible to run a campaign using a micro-influencer who is active in your market. It will cost you some money, but it is possible.

Like all social media campaigns, you’ll need to develop a plan for how to use your micro-influencer. Map out what your goals and objectives are and the resources (money and time) you want to dedicate to the campaign, as well as how you will measure success. The big challenge will be finding the right influencers.

Finding a Micro-Influencer

Check your community: The perfect person may already be following you. Take a look at the people in your online community. Check their profiles to see how active they are and how many followers they have.
Do some Internet research: Look within the platforms you want to use by searching on relevant keywords.
Research your candidates: Once you have identified possible influencers, determine if they represent the image you want to portray, if they have sufficient engagement, and if they have worked with companies before.
Reach out: Email and direct message work best since they are private, but if worse comes to worst, you can use comments on their pages.

Locating and communicating with micro-influencers can be time-consuming and resource intensive. One good way to make your job easier is to turn to a professional. The Social Media Advisor is a great place to start. Their Social Media Analysis can help you ensure that when you undertake your influencer campaign, you target the right influencers and the right market. They can also make sure that your pages are optimized and your content is on target.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

August 15, 2019
Relationship Marketing

#RelationshipsMatter – How Your Tribe Influences Your Social Proof

When you think about how you use social media, do you think of it in terms of your social proof? Social proof is a concept that refers to the phenomena of people taking their lead from others. Social proof works the way it does because it’s human nature for us to assume that if other people approve of a product or service, then it’s probably OK for us too. That’s why testimonials and case studies are popular and effective marketing tools.

With that in mind, consider the influence the people in your own social media community have on getting the word out about you, your products, and your services. When it comes down to it, your community, or tribe as we like to call it, is pretty important when it comes to your social proof.

Your tribe includes all the people with whom you interact. Of course, that includes your customers. But it also includes your employees, your business partners, your vendors, and anyone else who is essential in contributing to your success. How effectively you engage with these groups of people is vital too in communicating to others that you are a trusted and credible source.

Effective use of social media is all about engagement, and engagement is essential in communicating that you are a trusted and credible source. That’s where your tribe comes in. When they give you their seal of approval, they are making an impact on your social proof.

There are many great ways to create content that will engage your community and help to strengthen your social proof. Reviews, employee profiles, testimonials, and how-to videos are great examples. But no matter what the content is, you should strive for it to be positive, consistent, and carry a message that is in line with your objectives for your brand.

If you are having trouble deciding where to start when it comes to using social media to enhance your social proof, a good first step is to take an audit of your content and view it from the perspective of the members of your community. What message does it send? Does it communicate your authority and credibility? How effective is it in getting actual engagement?

An even better way to get a quick start is to take advantage of The Social Media Advisor’s Social Media Analysis. You’ll get the benefits of an outside perspective from someone who knows the business and can offer cost-effective, actionable suggestions for how you can make both short and long-term improvements. So what are you waiting for? Let’s make the most of your social proof!

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Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

August 12, 2019
Relationship Marketing

#RelationshipsMatter – Who is in Your Tribe?

Deciding how much of your limited resources to dedicate to social media can be a difficult decision. It’s clear that you need to be doing something, but it’s not enough to simply throw up some posts, and off you go. To use social media to grow your business, you need to incorporate strategy into your social media. That means that you’ll have a reason for what you do, what platforms you take advantage of, and what kind of content you post.

You may not have given much thought to the people who are in your social media network, but you should. The people you connect with regularly are your tribe. In other words, they are your community, the people who make you successful. So if you don’t have a good idea of who these people are and what makes them unique, now is the perfect time to learn more about them, strengthen your relationships, and show your gratitude.

So now that you’ve decided that this is the right time to learn more about your tribe and let them know how much you appreciate them, let’s talk about how you might go about that.

Ask them – Face it, these aren’t just your social media contacts; they are the people that help you do what you do, and you need to know as much about them as you can. If you feel like you don’t know enough about your tribe, then reach out. Once you know more, you can make decisions about what you post on social media to give your tribe what they need to make their jobs (and lives) easier.
Talk to them – Effective use of social media is all about engagement, and to be engaged you need to have interactive exchanges. It’s not enough to post content; comment, reply, and talk with your community.
Say thank you – When you show gratitude to the members of your community, you let them know how important they are to you. There are many ways to show your appreciation, not the least of which is to simply say thank you.
Share with them – Of course, you need to share content, but you can also share your influence by passing along information about them, the content they have produced, or other information that can help them succeed.
Be consistent – Your community needs you to be consistent. That means you have a plan, and to make sure your message stays the same no matter what platform you are using.

Engaging with your tribe effectively takes planning and execution. If you aren’t already doing this well, then it is probably a good idea to consult with a professional. The Social Media Advisor can help. Their social media analysis can jump start your effort and help ensure that you are taking the right steps in getting to know your tribe and strengthening your relationship with all the members of your community.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

July 31, 2018
Relationship Marketing

#ShareYourMessage – What is Relationship Marketing in Social Media?

Relationship marketing is all about creating and maintaining engagement with your customers. If social media is an essential element of your marketing strategy, then that probably sounds familiar since that’s precisely the same thing that success on social media means—engagement.

Both relationship marketing and social media are about the long game, creating strong connections to you, your company, and your brand so that customers think of you first when the type of product or service you offer is needed. Not only are you top of mind, but you are also trusted so that your customers become your advocates. That means referrals, positive reviews, and new leads.

If that sounds good to you, then you need to start thinking about your social media strategy with relationships in mind. But how? Here are five sure-fire ways to use social media as part of your relationship marketing strategy.

Speak the Same Language As Your Customers

When you interact with your social media community, you want to be a human, not a corporation. That means you need to relate like a person, not a bot.

Encourage (or ASK) Your Customers To Provide Feedback Via Your Social Media Pages

There is nothing wrong with asking for a review or a comment. Once you ask, be prepared to respond regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative.

Think Fast And Respond Quickly

You should not only be accessible, but you should be timely. That means reacting right away, not a week from now. Remember, you are working to establish a relationship and relationships require give and take.

Show Your Gratitude

Social media is a great place to say “Thank you!” and to tell your customers how much you appreciate them. Whether that’s by simply saying it or by offering a gift or discount to your best customers, depends on your goals. Regardless of how you choose to do it, let your customers know what they do to contribute to your success.

Be A Village

It’s not enough to have good one-on-one relationships with your customers. You need to build a community. Whether it’s a select group just for customers, sponsoring local get-togethers, or establishing a special online place for conversation, your goal is to connect with your customers and help them connect with each other.

There are many great reasons to establish strong relationships with your customers. It’s easy to think of the business reasons — more sales, better referrals, more repeat business. But there are also reasons for you personally, particularly for small business where you are likely to interact with your customers personally. Happy customers can mean higher job satisfaction, healthy interaction, and less stress. So what are you waiting for? Get started on your relationship marketing strategy now.

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Tag: Relationship Marketing

#RelationshipsMatter – What is a Micro-Influencer?

#RelationshipsMatter – Who is in Your Tribe?

#ShareYourMessage – What is Relationship Marketing in Social Media?

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

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