Why Social Media?

Millions of people around the world know the amazing benefits of using social media.  Yes there are benefits to personal social media use (keeping in touch with friends, etc), but what about business use?  Businesses are becoming more and more integrated with social media and that isn't going to change anytime soon.


I just wanted to share some statistics about how amazing social media is (via Social Skinny):

• Sales via social commerce are expected to reach $30 billion within five years.  That's absolutely incredible.  If you offer a product, or even a service, that customers could potentially purchase online, make sure you're out there.  

• 66% of online adults are connected to one or more social media platforms.  This means that there is a very good chance some of your current and potential customers are connected to social media.

• People were 25% more likely to buy a product they would be proud of if it had social buttons placed next to it, but 25% less likely to buy a product they would be embarrassed of if it encouraged them to like or tweet about it (by having social share buttons nearby).  This is a great way for you to get your name spread across the internet... fast. 

• 83% of people who complained on Twitter liked or loved a response by the company.  What if there are people saying negative things about your business via social media and you're not there to give a response or explanation? It doesn't make you look very good. Get social! I have had so many experiences where I have had a complaint about something with a business and they solved my issue quickly via social media.

• 58% of businesses saw a drop in marketing costs by moving to social marketing.  Social Media is very inexpensive... especially after you get the hang of it.

Social Media Facts: 

• In February 2012 Pinterest had 10.4 million users
• In February 2012 Twitter had 500 million registered users (approx 200m active)
• Twitter accounts for approx 3.61% of referral traffic (according to Shareaholic study)
• 1 million accounts are added to Twitter every day
• In February 2012 Facebook had 850 million users
• Facebook accounts for approx 26% of referral traffic (according to Shareaholic study)
• Of the 850+ million Facebook users, 31% check in more than once a day!
• In February 2012 LinkedIn had 135 million users
• LinkedIn accounts for about 0.20% of referral traffic
• In February 2012 Google+ had 90 million users
• Google+ accounts for about 0.22% of referral traffic

These are some astonishing facts about good old social media.  850 Million on Facebook? Get your business on there and be seen! 

What reservations do you still have about social media... if any? I want to make you a social media believer! 

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Be Careful What you Tweet for

Social media is an amazing tool for staying connected with friends and businesses. One critical step businesses are taking with social media is using it for customer service. I have written blogs about a few companies that have used social media to solve an issue within minutes. If used properly, it’s an amazing tool. Social media can help your business solve customer service issues more efficiently and more add more personality to your business.
If you want to use social media for customer service, be prepared for some negative feedback. If you put yourself out there, some people will criticize you, while other people will praise you. Be careful what you tweet for, you may get blindsided.

You may have heard that McDonalds recently attempted this on Twitter with “#McDStories”.  McDonald’s wasn’t prepared for the negative responses such as “#McDStories Take a McDonalds fry, let it sit for 6 months. It will not deteriorate or spoil like a normal potato. It will remain how it was”. This is an extreme example and was obviously a huge failure—because they weren’t prepared. But if you’re prepared to get a few negative responses and professionally handle these responses, you’ll do fine and social media will work greatly in your favor.

Be careful what you tweet for and be prepared for anything.

Do you have a social media success story? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Follow Me on Twitter @KatieJ318

Getting the Most Out of your Social Media

There are many ways you can use social media from business to personal accounts, to following your favorite celebrity or favorite CEO. How can you get the most out of your social media outlets though? 

Don’t be a Fly-on-the-Wall. You need to dive into social media, don’t just read other tweets and not tweet yourself. Especially when it comes to Twitter, you have to be interactive. Even on Facebook and Pinterest, “like” other users’ work and posts (only if you truly like them) and comment.  People use social media outlets to share, to learn and to be heard.   

If you blog, go around and comment on other similar-interest blogs. The term “If you build it, they will come” does not apply to social media of any type (unless you’re famous).

Tip: make sure you retweet relevant content that you like and reply when people ask you a question or comment on something you said. 

Have a Personality. Similar to the previous tip, people want to follow those who show their personality through their social media outlets.
Tip: You can be sarcastic, but try to keep your language clean. It’s a huge turn-off for followers when they continuously see explicit content on their feed.

Avoid Automation at All Cost.  I despise automated messages when I start following someone one Twitter. It shows they don’t have the time to go out of their way and say hello. If you don’t have time, don’t say anything at all.  If I begin following someone and I receive an automated message saying “Thanks for following. Please “like” me on Facebook”... no thank you, I will unfollow you. You need to earn “likes” on Facebook.  My view is that I’m already following you on Twitter, if I enjoy your tweets, I will find you on Facebook as well.
Tip: If you have a few followers and want to communicate somehow, just send out a tweet saying “Thanks to all of my new followers….” And mention them using “@” in the tweets. 

These are just three tips I wanted to share with you in order for you to reach your full social media potential. What do you avoid using on social media platforms?

What questions do you have about social media?

Social Media is a 2-Way Street

I always have been a huge social media advocate. I think social media is great, obviously for keeping in touch with family and friends, but it’s also great for propelling your business to the next level.  There are many ways you can use social media to your advantage. Today, I want to share one main tip for utilizing these amazing platforms to their full extent.

Be Interactive.  There are so many businesses today that have social media platforms but they still say they aren’t gaining any traffic or leads from them… that means you’re not doing something right. Mostly, these businesses aren’t being interactive.  If your business has a Twitter account, use it. Don’t just Tweet from your account though, interact with others on Twitter using the “@” symbol*, thank people for following and mentioning you.  Most of all, answer questions or concerns people ask you! I cannot say it enough. The most frustrating thing for any customer is to ask a business a question via social media and then have them ignore you.  You’re there so current and potential customers can interact with you. Interact!

Social media is a 2-way street—the only way you’re going to be successful is if you use it as such. 

*if you have any questions about the "lingo" I used in the blog, please feel free to message me here or email me at chateausocialmedia@gmail.com!

Social Media is a Two-Way Street. Use it to its full potential. 

Blogging for Success

A few years ago, if you told me that I would be blogging in 2011-12, I would have told you that you were insane and blogging was for hippies (no offense to hippies).  However, blogging has become a part of my life, not just my day job and I love it. It’s a way to share what you love and what you’re good at—for me, I blog about customer service, customer feedback management (and everything that goes with it), social media and DIY Crafts.  I have never seen blogging have a negative effect on businesses, just improve them.  I just wanted to share a few reasons why I believe blogging will help your business become successful.

Show What You Know.  Blogging is a great way for you or your business to show your extensive knowledge about a particular topic, or range of topics. In business, you have to gain an exceptional reputation in your field—blogging is a great way to do that.

Sharing Useful Information.  If you know a lot about a particular topic, why not share it with the world? Similar to “showing what you know”, sharing information is great for small to large businesses. I do social media consulting part time and at first I thought it wouldn’t be good to share social media tips because… well, that’s what I get paid to do. However, it’s nice to give a sampling of what you know and how your product/service/business can really help others.

These are just two ways blogging can help your business and build your reputation. 

Do you blog for business or are you still hesitant?