Is social media worth the investment?  The answer is YES.  Social media has a strong impact on sales as well as brand perception.  Increase in sales has a positive correlation to the exposure of social media.  Not only does social media build loyalty among customers, but it also influences marketing operations.  Social media improves customer listening, engagement, and is a doorway to new market insights.  If done correctly it positively affects business value and customer relations.

Here are 4 advanced strategies for small businesses looking to make a big impact:

1. Use Multimedia – Consumers are becoming more and more visual.  They want to SEE what they are buying, and not just read about it.

2. Offline and Online Advertising Integration – Using offline advertising practices such as print or radio can increase your opportunities to extend sales pitches and invitations to be part of your business community.  Extend a warm welcome to your Facebook page or Website and they will be happy to join your community and buy your product or service in the near future.

3. Customize Messages – Businesses are starting to have multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and so on. DON’T send the same message across on each platform, this duplicate copy is annoying.  A message on Facebook does not work the same on Twitter.  Be sure to use different styles for each to maximize potential.

4. Excite the Community – Once you have built a solid community, then be sure to utilize the community to drive more traffic and more buzz.  Contests and discounts are perfect for this.  Contests and offering exclusive discounts create competitions, this may cause an incredible increase in sharing causing the excitement to go viral.

~ Michael Whartnaby, Prospectr Marketing