Question?
Are you a local business that derives your sales through the people who live within your community? Just about every business would also open their doors to tourists as well…. but first and foremost ask yourself this “Who spends the most money at my store?” If your answer was the locals then I believe you need to start marketing locally first. Here is the exciting thing about starting local, you will cross-pollinate outside your community too…It’s that simple.
This could very well be the key to a successful business plan, incorporate social media with your community in mind. Think Local first!
Thinking local on Twitter is easy, here are three ways to accomplish this goal
- Use the search box and type in your city name, from there sift through the postings and find the appropriate peeps to follow. Put them in lists with your city name so you can find them down the road.
- A great third-party app is “TwellowHood” here you can use their map system to find your peeps
- We need to let people know we’re open to new friends on Twitter – ask people if they are Tweeting, and then ask them for their “Handle” or Twitter name. Make sure your Twitter handle is on all your promotional material.
Now that you have some awesome local folks to follow use Twitter as a referral tool, complementing and sharing awesome information with your local followers.
How about Facebook, also an easy place to find locals, here are three awesome Facebook ideas
- You need to start asking people if they have a Facebook Business Page, then you need to hand them your business card with your “Username” on it. Why did I say username and not name? Because depending on how long your Facebook name is or if you changed your Facebook name, you might have a different Username than your name on Facebook.. For example my Facebook name is “Keep It Simple Social Media Training and Consulting” but my username or my vanity URL or my code or address (they all mean the same thing) is “Keep It Simple Social Media” written like this http://www.facebook.com/keepitsimplesocialmedia
- Have a Facebook Fan Page party for the locals to add their page to your wall, this is an awesome networking opportunity and a great way to get to know other pages.
- You can utilize the search bar on Facebook and add your city name.
When marketing locally with social media it is important to remember nothing beats the old fashion hand shake, get out there and meet the people behind the pages.
Cheers!
My name is Heather Clifford and I live in beautiful Nanaimo BC, I teach hands on social media, I am a speaker and consultant who is passionate about sharing the powerful tools of marketing with social media. I travel through out this gorgeous province helping bridge the distance between technology and you.
