I chose to take this class to get
better acquainted with social media as a way to advertise my wife's business.
Although she is a conscientious and skilled tax preparer and immigration consultant, the economy and her lack of resources for marketing have kept her work flow stagnant over the last few years. This class
has taught me beyond the basics of various social media outlets, including what
works, what doesn't for this particular business. I have determined which ones are too time consuming and which ones can be integrated across
multiple platforms and so much more.
Over the last several months, I have begun integrating a blog, a newsletter, Instagram, and Facebook to create a consistent brand for her business. Since the company does not have a website, my goal was to get the business name and brand out there. Our clients love us, and although it is not a practice of ours to take clients from other businesses, we know that we do good work and others can definitely benefit from our services. The hope is that Facebook, Yelp, Google Maps, etc. will drive clients in the door. Social media has allowed us to reach out to more people in a shorter
amount of time and for far less advertising dollars. One drawing that cost nothing more than a $10 Starbucks gift card reached nearly 600 users. Previously, strictly paper advertising was utilized, which has spotty success, and is both time- and cost-ineffective. My hope is that this tax season, clients will see our table signs on my wife's desk and like the business page.
Overall, this class has been an excellent way to explore social media at a
deeper level. It has helped me build an understanding of what the various
platforms do and how I can utilize them both professionally and personally.
In addition to maintaining the Seaside Family Services page and training my wife, I plan to use the tools I have learned in this class to create and maintain a Facebook page for MiraCosta's High School Diploma Program. I now feel competent and confident that I will represent the college well and meet the needs of the program.
Thank you Tracy and Claudia for a great class experience! And thank you, fellow classmates. It has been great conversing and learning with and from one another. Take care, guys!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
More Social Strategy- Part 2
The following blog post will summarize my social media marketing
strategy for my business, Seaside Family Services. For each of the social media
platforms, I will discuss why I chose them, how I plan to use them and test my
strategy, and how much time I will dedicate to marketing with these platforms,
over the next six months.
Facebook
Facebook, besides being the most popular of all social media
platforms, is the one that seems to be the most manageable, so most of my
social media endeavors will be conducted via Facebook, which will integrate the
other tools I use. For example, to avoid long Facebook posts, I will post a
call to action with a link to my blog, which will have all the details. I will
post on Facebook approximately once a week. I can easily gauge the success of
my posts with the analytics already integrated into Facebook.
Instagram
Although I haven’t done much with this my Instagram account yet, I
have big plans for it once I get a decent sized following there. In addition to
simple weekly photos with cool filters giving followers a backstage pass into
the business, I also plan to display the company's ethics and values by posting
pictures of charity work and community involvement events. We will also
celebrate milestones or events like immigration clients obtaining their
citizenship. I will also conduct occasional photo contests as a way of getting
followers engaged and having the requirement of including a hashtag could
create more buzz and lead to more followers. I can easily gauge the success of
my posts by the number of likes.
Newsletter
Biannual email newsletters will be a part of my marketing
strategy. In order to condense the size of the newsletter, I will be using an
interesting headline and a short snippet with a call to action leading readers
to my blog, which will hold the full article. The bottom of every email will
include a coupon of some sort. Each edition will feature a tax corner and an
immigration corner so as to inform clients of one of our main services about
the other.
Blog
Since Seaside
family Services does not have a website, my blog will contain most of the
information I want my followers to know. Some of my Facebook posts and
newsletters will contain links that point to appropriate blog post.
Additionally, if I mention a term or topic that I have posted about previously,
I can create a hyperlink on the text and have it lead to the past post. I will
create blog posts multiple times per week. Since other platforms will be
referring to this blog, it will need more updating than the others. I have
integrated Google Analytics into my blog to keep a clear idea of how I’m doing
at keeping people’s interest (No easy feat with dry topics like taxes and
immigration). I have to admit, I was initially hesitant about the idea of a
blog, but my business’s lack of a website lends well to blogging.
Yelp
Keeping an eye on
Yelp reviews is also going to be a key part of my marketing strategy. Keeping
this on my radar will give me key insights as to clients’ satisfaction.
Google Maps
Lastly, I need to obtain access to the Google Maps account for my
business. The site is mysteriously owned by someone else and there is inaccurate information on the location listing, and I want
our clients to be able to find us.
The following is a summary of my marketing plan for the next
month:
December 15 – January 15.
December 15- Facebook
$20 Starbucks gift card giveaway. Share your drink of choice
for your chance to win.
December 16- Instagram --> Facebook
New Citizen Client picture
December 17- Blog --> Facebook
Infographic on how much Americans spend on Christmas
decorations
December 20- Blog --> Facebook
It's December! Protect your home (and wallet) from the cold.
December 21- Blog --> Facebook
First day of winter- Oceanside, CA weather/climate facts
December 25- Instagram --> Facebook
Merry Christmas from Seaside Family Services
December 26- Facebook
Survey: When do you take down Christmas decorations?
December 31- Blog --> Facebook
End of year reminder for 2014 filing season
January 1- Instagram --> Facebook
Happy New Year from Seaside Family Services picture
January 2- Facebook
How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?
January 4-Newsletter
New Year's Constant Contact Email Newsletter
January 8- Facebook
Happy Hump Day! If you could have a lifetime supply of any
one item, what would it be?
January 10- Facebook
What's the one word that describes
the feeling you get when you receive your tax refund?
January 14- Instagram --> Facebook
New Citizen Client picture
January 15- Instagram
Hashtag Photo Contest
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
More Social Strategy
Being a small, family business of 2 – 3 employees, Seaside
Family Services cannot employ a marketing strategy that requires a ton of time
or financial resources. Most likely, I will continue to act as the admin for
the business until I can get my wife trained and prepared to take over the
social media platforms currently in place. Facebook, besides being the most
popular outlet and the one I have enjoyed using the most, is the one that is
most manageable, so that platform will constitute most of my social media
endeavors. I also plan to integrate a blog and newsletters into my strategy. I
have not done much with my business Instagram page, but I plan to incorporate
this as well. Perhaps a hashtag photo contest
I plan to post approximately 2 to 3 times per month so as to
keep followers involved but not annoyed. I will post seasonal items as well as
pertinent information as it arises, such as tax deadlines, new tax laws or
immigration updates. Since my company does not have a website, my blog will contain
most of the information I want my followers to know. Some of my Facebook posts
and newsletters will contain links that point to appropriate blog post.
Additionally, if I mention a term or topic that I have posted about previously,
I can create a hyperlink on the text and have it lead to the past post. I have
to admit, I was initially hesitant about the idea of a blog, but my business’s
lack of a website lends well to blogging.
Keeping an eye on Yelp reviews is also going to be a key
part of my marketing strategy. Keeping this on my radar will give me key
insights as to clients’ satisfaction. Lastly, I need to obtain access to the Google
Maps account for my business. There is inaccurate information on the location listing,
and I want our clients to be able to find us.
Twitter, Google+ and Groupon, although they can be great marketing
devises, I don’t feel are right for my business. I feel Twitter is more for
well-established, big businesses with a following. That is far from what we
are. Google+ could possibly work for my business, but quite frankly, there is
too much for my wife to do on a day-to-day basis at work to take on and manage
a second email account and a second social network. Since I have more
experience and expertise with Facebook, I feel my efforts are better spent
focused there. Although I know that a Groupon deal can give a business a big
boost, I don’t think it’s right for us either. Our prices are already very
economical. An attractive Groupon deal would not be cost-effective for us.
The platforms I have used have been effective so far. The
true test will come around tax season. At that time, we will see if my efforts
have resulted in more people in the door.
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