Easy 1-2-3 guide to setting up your Business Social Media

For those who are new to the world of Social Media, I know it can be a nightmare trying to wrap your head around it and trying to set it up. I have spoken to many retailers who are putting it off,

because it can be daunting, confusing and it takes a lot of time. But like it or not the old way of promoting your business through advertising in the local newspaper and mediums are no longer working. Always ask yourself these questions; where do my customers spend most of their time, what is the most effective medium to reach them, if you are planning to spend advertising dollars: ask yourself when was the last time you have read the local newspaper and when was the last time you have responded by taking action to an advertisement that you have seen. That would be your dip stick to where you should advertise.

Social Media has become our staple news update and a avenue to stalk potential lovers or child monitoring, and not to mention brag rights and selfies. People look at it at least three times a day, morning, noon and night. Even my parents in their 60's and 70's has a Facebook account. It is a great way to share news, events, ideas and photos.

Hope this blog will help to enlighten you and make it easier for you to jump on the Social Media bandwagon, so you don't miss out on free Social Media platform to promote your business.

1. Determine which Social Media to use first, I would suggest to start with one Social Media first, to get the hang of it before moving on to the next one. Ask your customers which social media they use (Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram). The answers you get will be determined by the type of shop you have and your customer's age group, gender and interests. You will find most people will have a facebook account.

2. Setting up your Business Social Media account, cannot be easier. With just a few clicks and you are set up and ready for the Social Media world. Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram. While you are there remember to follow us

Facebook: Taylor Hill Scarves & Co. Pinterest: Taylor Hill Scarves Instagram: @taylorhillscarves

3. Building a fan base. Always have a sign on your counter and while customers are waiting for you to wrap their items, ask them to like your Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc page to keep in touch with you so you can keep them updated with new stock and also promotions. Most customers have no issue doing that.

4. Be disclipline with your posts. Like my marketing lecturer always say, you need to be consistent and frequent with your post. Try to at least post three times a week, but try not to over do it with 10 posts a day (it does gets addictive and tempting). Be consistent when communicating with your fans. Suggested posts could be What's new this week, Coming soon items, Back in Stock items, What's in trend, Out fit if the day (combination of top, bottom, and accessories), Spot what the celebrity is wearing, Promotion, VIP nights, Funny quotes, Funny photos, New window display, Current events, Happy Customer purchases photos (tag the customer if the customer allows you to, this increases exposure for your business and creates loyalty).

5. Cheating. You must have seen companies being so diligent with posts. You ask where on earth do they find the time to do it, or maybe they hired someone to do it full time. Well there are apps out there that is free and can help you schedule and release your posts according to when you have set them for. For example Buffer App, allows you to link your Facebook page and allows you to schedule 10 post for free and you only need to do it once a week, depending on your frequency. You can schedule two weeks worth of Facebook post on Buffer and it will release it on the days and time which you have set. For example, week one you can have Out Fit of the day on Monday, A Funny quote on Wednesday and a come in store special on Friday. Week two New in store on Tuesday, Celebrity trend on Thursday and This week's special on Saturday. There is also Zapier, which will do the same for instagram and a zillion other apps and tools. 

There you go, it isn't hard at all. We would like to know if this blog have been helpful or if you would like to know more about other related topics, contact us and let us know and we can possibly write on that topic.

Happy media social'ising.

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