Christmas is coming and here in the UK the festivities have already started. Go to any restaurant and you’ll see the extra large tables in place for the Christmas parties and general merriment. We have it on good authority that those people who like a drink or two this Christmas are always very aware of the “Empty Bar Syndrome”. Let me explain.
You decide to meet friends for a drink. You choose a bar that you know suits your purpose and preference. Whether that’s space, the drinks they serve, the bar staff, ambience, etc. However there is just one problem. You arrive to the bar and see it is completely deserted!
When you walk in, you’ll double the number of people in the place…after all you can’t serve your own drink. Hurriedly fumbling for your mobile phone you step outside to take/make that urgent call trying not to catch the barman’s eye. In the online world, that’s a “bounce rate” of 100% – You came, you saw, you left in a hurry. A quick text message to your friends and a new venue is arranged. Phew your credibility is intact.
How does this tie in to your facebook page, twitter stream or blog? Simple. If it looks like an empty bar, very few people will have the foresight and vision to stick around. Despite consciously finding their way to your page, perhaps even browsing (window shopping for info) if it doesn’t look current and vibrant they’ll find other places to spend their time and ultimately money. (Perhaps their own money or from their friends and colleagues that they would recommend to!)
All too often businesses operate in bursts of activity – 10 tweets or facebook statuses (of which 80% get hidden by Facebook) in an hour and then nothing for weeks.
Here’s a few tips to get you started in the right direction to build a foundation and reputation as the place to be in your area of expertise
1) Don’t worry about perfection on every post or article, little and often is good enough
2) On Facebook try and post regularly, no less than twice a week and usually no more than twice a day unless you have a super engaged audience or specific promotion. Remember when you post something, all those people who liked your page now get your updates posted on their timeline automatically. Don’t flood their page with updates or they’ll stop liking the page and you’ll lose them forever!
3) Ensure that you are promoting your Facebook page address and twitter name to your existing customers. If you have a list of people, email and ask them to like or follow you.
4) If you have less than 100 people following or liking you, consider some very targeted advertising within the genre or local area if applicable.
5) Take 30-60 minutes one weekend or evening and decide what you want to achieve from your page. Is it sales? Leads? Traffic to your website? People to visit your store/office/premises? Then decide what areas you feel like you could write a short article about. Even if it is commenting on a piece of news and is a paragraph or two long, that is fine to get you started.
6) Plan in 10 minutes per day to work at your social media updates.
As a business owner you can’t manage time. There will only ever be 60 minutes in an hour. You can however manage priorities and if you have a facebook page or twitter account, it could be working hard for you to help you achieve your business goals.
This is a very basic introduction to tweeting & statuses and if you have any questions, feel free to post them below or contact us.
At Snowflake Media we use a range of tools to help clients maximise their revenues and brand exposure via social media. Our clients range from 1-person online companies to retailers on both a local and International stage.
Based in Halifax we are an approachable, jargon-free (usually) company that would love to help you. For a free no-obligation consultation to see how Snowflake Media could help you, please get in touch via info@snowflakemedia.co.uk
Why even those people who want to, don’t like your facebook page