When the Box is Empty

     So, for the past year all you have been reading about from the Social Media Gurus is that it's all about “content”. Content this, content that, and content is everything . . .

But when is content engaging and when is it just fresh air? Suppose you own a pizzeria. You want to generate buzz about your pizzeria and you have entrusted your best seventeen year old counter person with the task of handling your digital marketing campaign because, hell, why you should you pay a professional to do this stuff. Kids know everything about Social Media, right?

     Here is the high quality content your acne-scarred Social Media Manager has produced for a dynamite post on Facebook, Tumbler, and whatever other channel he likes:

“#Pizza is cool. Everyone knows #pizza is good for you. #Pizza has vegetables. We make the coolest #pizza. Every time you order #pizza, you can get whatever you want on it. We make square #pizzas and round #pizzas. Our #pizza is awesome!”

This post is, of course, accompanied by a really “awesome” picture of a pizza in psychedelic colors.

     Congratulations! You have managed to use the word “pizza” eight times in seven sentences and all those hashtags are going to make this post visible to millions. Folks will be flocking to your pizzeria based on the stimulating content.

     So when the resulting flood of orders for your pizzas doesn't materialize, you tell everyone that Social Media Marketing doesn't work. Thank goodness you didn't pay someone to promote your pizzeria via Social Media. Hell, the kid put up that post a week ago and your sales haven't gone up at all. You are going back to spending a few hundred bucks a month on door-to-door brochures because surely that has been working wonders for your business, not to mention providing the neighborhood with fodder for their recycling boxes.

     Just one last question before you give up on Social Media Marketing. How do you think your customers would react to having your pizza arrive in a box, only to discover that the box was empty? Now start thinking “outside the box” and you might have some glimpse of what your Social Media content should be like. Think outrageous, off-the-wall, bizarre, shocking, tear-jerking, sexy, or just plain different. That is how your content will generate buzz and that is how people will visit your pizzeria to sample your pies. Then consider this: Social Media content is an ongoing conversation. One post a week that elicits no feedback is liking saying “hello” to someone, then walking away before they have had a chance to reply. Let your counter person serve the pizza. Let professionals handle your digital ad campaign.

www.roambusiness.com

RKN 

Trying to be Everywhere for Everyone at Once!

Often, a business will indulge in “overkill” trying to be on every Social Media platform available. There are literally thousands of applications and sites where a business can display their wares, some of them are short lived, others (Facebook for example) are staples.


This advice may seem a little odd coming from Roam Business, since we are on 9 different Social Media Platforms (and still growing!). But it is the nature of our business, Social Media Marketing, to be as available on as many platforms as possible.


The rule of thumb is - “know your audience”. Do a little research and find out what Social platforms they use. The second caveat is - “talk to them, not at them”. You want them to get to know you, you aren't just pitching merchandise. Don't be afraid to try a few different Social networks, but if they don't work, drop them.


Social Media Marketing is a marathon, not a 100 yard dash, It may take time to find and build your audience on the right platform, but the time invested will be worth its weight in loyal followers and excellent references.


Above all, once you have determined your best Social Media outlets, keep your content informative and current. Nothing will lose your followers faster than the same old tired content. Stay on top of current trends in your market and how world affairs affect your product or service. People will enjoy your articles and return for more.


There are many Professional Social Media Marketing firms who will advise you without trying to sell you a “bill of goods” or a long term contract. Roam Business prides ourselves on giving quality, confidential consultations, without any strings attached. Contact us today and we will be pleased to share our expertise with you- because what goes around, usually comes around- and that generally extends to good will.www.roambusinsess.com

The Banana Peels on the Soapbox

Social Media advertising provides a unique opportunity for businesses to really “reach out and connect” with their clients. Think about this : A little more than a dozen years ago, a business would require a toll-free number with an army of “customer service-reps” to deal with an offer or promotion - heavily amplified through traditional print, radio, or television. Remember the old TV pitch - “Call now, our operators are standing by!” Laughably, some businesses still use this tired old come-on, but it is generally associated with a product intended for the geriatric demographic.





The wheel has been reinvented however, and the “contact us immediately” pitch means just that. Social platforms will generate responses before the questions are even formulated! The “Soapbox” no longer requires a megaphone and it is covered with banana peels. The best intended offer can be twisted or perverted into a YouTube gag faster than you can say, “Try our new product.”!





So how does a businesses negotiate this new platform; this new “soapbox”? To begin with, climb off it!        Nobody will listen to you shouting about how much better you are than "Product B". The only way to catch anyone's attention with that route is to build a comedy routine out of it and it's going to cost you a bundle producing the ad.






The “soap box” of the Social Media platform is your very own home. Invite your potential clients into the kitchen for a coffee, or sit them comfortably in your den and talk to them as you would speak with a new neighbour invited into your house and you will have a chance at telling them a bit about your product or service. But be very prepared to listen to their story first. In the age of Social Media, the subject is no longer your product, it is your client. Once you have heard all the "me” your clients can give you, you may just be prepared to tell them about what you have to offer them. This isn't market research. It is the reality of Social Media Advertising. No one gives a tinker's damn about your product. They only want to tell you about themselves.


Get on the soapbox and buy a good insurance policy. It is littered with the cast off banana peels of those who have lost at the approach of “telling the world about their truth”. It's now about listening and the question should always begin with “Tell us about yourselves and what do you think our product can do for you?”


Our firm has become quite adept at using the various Social Media Marketing platforms available in the online world, and we have helped more than a few businesses step delicately off the soapbox and into people's lives with a good degree of success. Contact us for a confidential consultation and be careful not to slip and break your neck on the banana peels on your way to getting in touch with us.
www,RoamBusiness.com

Did We Get Your Attention?

In the flood of images and news feeds that make up streaming social media offerings, advertisers and story tellers (much the same thing) have to really be imaginative to snag the attention of consumers. So what's the recipe for online ad success?


The newest buzzword “content”, is really just a self-serving argument for copywriters. The “infinite monkey theorem”, whereby a universe of monkeys with typewriters, given enough time, would eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare has virtually been proven true with 100,000 tweets and six new Wikipedia articles being produced each internet minute of every day.

So how do you get people's attention in the Vine world of 6 seconds or less? It's simple really, then again, it's not easy. People want a good story, one that touches them on an emotional level. They want images (pretty pictures) and they will give you about 2 seconds of time to catch their attention. If you are reading this, chances are good it's because of the two sleepy tigers pictured with this blog spot.


The big agencies are very good at using this recipe for online advertising. Take a look at the number one trending Superbowl ad this year, “Puppy Love”. Opening frame: a sign reading “Puppy Adoption”. Pretty pictures (puppies and horses) + a touching reunion (emotional story, told in 30 seconds) = hundreds of thousands of shares, re-tweets and over 36 million YouTube views. Some would argue that the ad has nothing to do with beer, but wait - what kind of horses are these? . . .Clydesdales. Unmistakably the Budweiser brand. And just in case you missed the closing frame while reaching for the tissues, it's the Budweiser logo with the hashtag “BestBuds”.


Smaller businesses cannot afford the million dollar production costs for an ad like Budweiser's Superbowl spot. The recipe, however, is free. The preparation would be better served up by an agency specializing in online advertising, but any business can give it a try. Tell your story, do it with a laugh, a cry, or something that makes people ask a question. Use vivid imagery and grab their attention in 2 seconds or less making sure they identify with your brand in under 10 seconds.


After your office intern has had a chance to prove their “expertise” at using Social Media and you've burned the toast a few times, contact us at  www.roambusiness.com 

Yes, They Really Like You!

    When actress Sally Field accepted her Academy Award for best actress in the 1984 film “Places in the Heart” she gushed out the phrase “. . . I can't deny the fact that you Iike me, right now, you like me!"  Many people didn't catch the humorous reference to dialogue from her role in Norma Rae and were left with the impression that she was indeed incredulous over the acknowledgement by her peers.

      A feeling of inadequacy is actually very real to some business owners. It is because of that fear that many small and medium sized business owners don't put their product or service on social media in order to avoid negative feedback. It's not that they don't have anything competitive to offer, they're simply afraid of the haters and won't put themselves in a position where they are exposed to being shot down by small people who can't see beyond their own world.Their business doesn't have the time or the inclination to deal with those people.

     There will always be hateful people, but the advantages of the insights that can be gained from social contact with a business's clients far outweigh the fear of not being “liked”. When a business is able to respond to a client's query or complaint as well as conduct an ongoing evaluation of its own operations based on instantaneous customer feedback, they gain an advantage that wasn't even available less than 20 years ago.

     Building relationships can often be complicated, but if a business takes the first steps towards letting their clients know that they are being listened to and that their opinions are respected, they are well on their way to getting the kind of “word of mouth” endorsements that only friends give friends. That is perhaps the biggest advantage that social media exposure can bring to a business.

     By knowing how to share on social media and offering some useful information and a laugh from time to time, a business will soon discover that their clients do “like them, really like them!” That's a win-win situation.

Roam Business can't promise you an Oscar, but we do have the knowledge and experience to help your business become a Social Media Star.

             Contact us for a confidential consultation. www.roambusiness.com