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SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION

Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. More small businesses are beginning to understand how to best leverage online tools to build a community and recognize that engagement and interaction are the foundations of social marketing, but most don't know what's next.

What follows are five advanced strategies for small businesses that may already have small online communities and understand how to create an online presence, but don't know what to do next.

WHAT IS AN ADVANCED STRATEGY?

The definition of an advanced social strategy is a technique that goes beyond the normal social media presence. It introduces or reinforces a marketing message while pushing a user to another profile or business site. Before moving forward with an advanced strategy, it's important that your business understands social marketing, has experience engaging consumers, and that you possess a basic understanding of online marketing.

STRATEGY 1: MULTIMEDIA USAGE

The term "A picture is worth a thousand words" has never been truer. Consumers are now using the web to look for product pictures and videos; they want more information and want to see what they're considering buying. The good news is that it's easy for a company to create and publish videos and pictures.

In addition to taking photos of products, you can also take pictures at office events as a way to highlight company culture. This not only helps convince others to work with you or to buy from you (consumers see that you are down to earth and one of them, instead of a stuffy company), it also helps your HR department recruit new employees. Who doesn't want to work for a company that celebrates birthdays and has a good time?

Videos are useful for explaining complex how-tos or concepts. Showing step by step directions can have a greater impact than even the most well written article. Businesses don't have to invest huge sums of money to create good videos, either. I highly recommend the relatively cheap Flip camcorder, which takes great videos and is easy for even a non-technical marketer to use.

Multimedia can break down the faceless business-to-consumer sales flow and make your company appear friendlier. Use videos and images to show that your business is fun, you care about your employees, and most importantly, that you care about your customers.

Example: WorldMusicSupply.com

WorldMusicSupply.com, an online retailer of musical instruments and accessories, has used YouTube to build a strong online community. Their channel has built over 7,000 subscribers and has over 260,000 views.

STRATEGY 2: INTEGRATE OFFLINE AND ONLINE ADVERTISING

Many small businesses do some sort of offline advertising, whether it be radio, print, or cable. Social marketing allows a business to extend their offline sales pitch.

Including your Facebook Page or blog URL in offline ads act as social proof, inviting potential consumers to see your community and increase trust in your business. Not only can integrating online and offline advertising help the conversion process, but it can also help build your community. Introducing potential consumers to your social profiles means they may join your community now and buy later.

STRATEGY 3: MESSAGE ADAPTATION

As businesses start to become more sophisticated with social media they are starting to leverage more online platforms. However, most deliver the same message over multiple platforms instead of tailoring communications for each individual site.

Social platforms each have an ecosystem of their own. What might be acceptable on Tumblr might be considered spam on Facebook. A specific style of writing might spread on Twitter but fail on FriendFeed. Understanding that each site is different and then customizing your message ensures they do well on each respective site.

Not only does customizing messages across sites help the message spread but it keeps users from receiving multiple identical communications. Be sure to maximize your potential by sending a user that follows the business on Twitter and Facebook two different messages, instead of the same thing.

STRATEGY 4: LOCAL SOCIAL NETWORKS, BEYOND YELP

For a small business, local search can be a big win. Being visible to consumers looking for a business in their area is extremely important. Make sure your site is included in local business directories in order to help ensure that consumers find you when they need you. Sometimes finding that many sites can be difficult, however.

First, make sure you check your competitors. Where are they listed? Check their inbound links to check for business directories you can add yourself to. Also, make sure your business has been added to Google Maps, using the Local Business Center.

Take the time to include all the information you can and update any old news. For many consumers, this will be their first interaction with the business.

Example: Bella Napoli in New York

Bella Napoli is a small pizzeria in New York that has done a great job of making sure they appear in as many local searches as possible.

STRATEGY 5: CONTESTS AND DISCOUNTS

Building a community is only the first part of social marketing. Using that community to drive sales, propagate marketing, or crowdsource operations is the true power of social media. One way to excite the community is to collectively do something to create a contest or offer an exclusive discount (i.e., the contest can create competition between users). Not only does a contest build buzz organically but if contestants need to, for example, publish an article that gets the most comments in order to win, the contest itself becomes viral.

A good social media contest should include some sort of sharing or virality as a requirement for winning.

Discounts are also a great way to connect with your community. By giving exclusive coupons to your social community, you're rewarding and reminding them that you are not only a brand to engage with, but also to buy from.

Example: NetFirms.com

NetFirms.com decided to make it easier to register a domain by allowing people to do it via Twitter. Those who participated or spread the word by tweeting, were also entered into a prize drawing.

CONCLUSION

Creating a basic social media presence is easy enough, getting your community to actually do something is more difficult. Taking advantage of these strategies can help you build your community, make your marketing more effective, and incentive buying.

SALES PROMOTION

Deals advancement is one of the five parts of the limited time blend. (The other 4 sections of the special blend are advertising, individual offering, coordinate promoting and exposure/advertising.) Media and non-media showcasing correspondence are utilized for a pre-decided, constrained time to expand buyer request, fortify market request or enhance item accessibility. Illustrations incorporate challenges, coupons, freebies, misfortune pioneers, purpose of procurement showcases, premiums, prizes, item tests, and refunds. 

Deals advancements can be coordinated at either the client, deals staff, or appropriation channel individuals, (for example, retailers). Deals advancements focused at the customer are called buyer deals advancements. Deals advancements focused at retailers and discount are called exchange deals advancements. Some deal advancements, especially ones with strange techniques, are considered tricks by numerous. 

Deals advancement incorporates a few correspondences exercises that endeavor to give added esteem or motivators to buyers, wholesalers, retailers, or other hierarchical clients to fortify quick deals. These endeavors can endeavor to animate item intrigue, trial, or buy. Cases of gadgets utilized as a part of offers advancement incorporate coupons, tests, premiums, purpose of-procurement (POP) shows, challenges, discounts, and sweepstakes. 

Deals advancement is executed to draw in new clients, to hold introduce clients, to neutralize rivalry, and to exploit openings that are uncovered by statistical surveying. It is comprised of exercises, both outside and inside exercises, to upgrade organization deals. Outside deals advancement exercises incorporate advertising, exposure, advertising exercises, and unique deals occasions. Inside deals advancement exercises incorporate window showcases, item and limited time material show and special projects, for example, premium honors and challenges. 

Deal advancements frequently come as rebates. Rebates affect the way purchasers think and carry on when shopping. The sort of reserve funds and its area can influence the way shoppers see an item and influence their buy choice. The two most basic rebates are value rebates ("at a bargain things") and extra packs ("mass things"). Value rebates are the lessening of a unique deal by a specific rate while extra packs are arrangements in which the buyer gets more at the first cost. Many organizations exhibit distinctive types of rebates in notices, wanting to persuade buyers to purchase their items. 

Customer deals advancement sorts 

Here and now deals to accomplish here and now targets 

Value bargain: A transitory decrease in the cost, for example, half off. 

Steadfast Reward Program: Consumers gather focuses, miles, or credits for buys and reclaim them for prizes. 

Pennies off arrangement: Offers a brand at a lower cost. Value lessening might be a rate set apart on the bundle. 

Value pack/Bonus packs bargain: The bundling offers a purchaser a specific rate a greater amount of the item at a similar cost (for instance, 25 percent additional). This is another kind of arrangement "in which clients are offered a greater amount of the item at a similar cost". For instance, a business organization may offer their shoppers a reward pack in which they can get two items at the cost of one. In these situations, this reward pack is confined as a pick up on the grounds that purchasers trust that they are getting a free item. The buy of a reward pack, notwithstanding, is not generally helpful for the shopper. Infrequently buyers will wind up burning through cash on a thing they would not ordinarily purchase had it not been in a reward pack. Thus, things purchased in a reward pack are regularly squandered and is seen as a "misfortune" for the shopper. 

Coupons: coupons have turned into a standard system for deals advancements. 

Misfortune pioneer: the cost of a prominent item is incidentally diminished underneath cost to invigorate other gainful deals 

Unsupported embed (FSI): A coupon booklet is embedded into the neighborhood daily paper for conveyance. 

Checkout distributors: On checkout the client is given a coupon in view of items bought. 

Versatile couponing: Coupons are accessible on a cell phone. Buyers demonstrate the offer on a cell phone to a salesman for recovery. 

Online intuitive advancement amusement: Consumers play an intelligent diversion related with the advanced item. 

Refunds: Consumers are offered cash back if the receipt and scanner tag are sent to the maker. 

Challenges/sweepstakes/diversions: The customer is naturally gone into the occasion by obtaining the item. 

Purpose of-offer showcases:- 

• Path interrupter: A sign that extends into the walkway from the rack. 
• Dangler: A sign that influences when a customer strolls by it. 
• Dump receptacle: A canister loaded with items dumped inside. 
• Offering entrances: Getting prospects 
• Glorifier: A little stage that lifts an item above different items. 
• Wobbler: A sign that shakes. 
• Lipstick Board: A board on which messages are composed in colored pencil. 
• Necker: A coupon set on the "neck" of a container. 
• YES unit: "your additional sales representative" is a haul out reality sheet. 
• Electroluminescent: Solar-controlled, enlivened light in movement. 
• Kids eat free specials: Offers a rebate on the aggregate feasting bill by offering 1 free children supper with every general dinner acquired. 
• Examining: Consumers get one specimen for nothing, after their trial and after that could choose whether to purchase or not. 

Online arrangements versus In-store bargains 

There are diverse sorts of rebates accessible online versus in the stores. On-rack couponing: Coupons are available at the rack where the item is accessible. * On-line couponing: Coupons are accessible on the web. Purchasers print them out and take them to the store.Although rebates can be discovered on the web and in stores, there is an alternate manner of thinking when shopping in every area. For instance, "online customers are more value touchy due to the promptly accessible low inquiry cost and direct value examinations". Buyers can without much of a stretch go to different sites and discover better arrangements instead of physically going to different stores. Likewise, purchasers tend to cease from buying extra packs online on account of the distrust (of extortion and tricks) that may accompany the arrangement. Since "… extra packs are more troublesome than value rebates to prepare on the web, they are more troublesome and effortful for the customer to get it". For instance, a get one-get sans one arrangement on a site requires more work than a similar reward pack offered in a store. On the web, shoppers need to manage installment preparing, sending and dealing with expenses, and days sitting tight for the items' landing, while in a store, the items are accessible without those extra strides and deferrals. 

Exchange deals advancement strategies 

• Exchange remittances: here and now motivating force offered to incite a retailer to stock up on an item. 
• Merchant loader: A motivating force given to incite a retailer to buy and show an item. 
• Exchange challenge: A challenge to reward retailers that offer the most item. 
• Purpose of-procurement presentations: Used to make the desire of "drive" purchasing and offering your item on the spot. 
• Preparing programs: merchant workers are prepared in offering the item. 
• Push cash: otherwise called "spiffs". An additional commission paid to retail representatives to push items. 

Exchange rebates (likewise called useful rebates): These are installments to conveyance channel individuals for playing out some capacity .