Social media is a term used to describe various activities which all integrate technology to allow interaction over words, photos and video content. Social media is no longer a tool for just chatting and interacting with friends and family. When social media is adopted for business it can give you the opportunity to directly interact with your customers and with your target audience.
If you imagine traditional media such as newspapers, radio and television – they all allow you to broadcast your message – but the communication is only one way. Social media allows you to broadcast the same message however the communication is two way and in real time, so you can use it to your advantage and really interact with other businesses by voicing your opinion, giving your professional advice, broadcasting your latest news and building key relationships.
Social media increases your exposure allowing you to add a personality to your brand. Utilising social media in the right way gives you a greater understanding of your audience. It allows you to start dialogues and to engage with businesses in a more approachable way. It can give you a platform on which to promote your services or products resulting in increased leads and enquiries and with measurable ROI.
Here at Parker Sandford we understand that social media is a dialogue not a monologue. We’ll help you to understand and reach your audience and show you how to build your own social media community around your business.
Facebook
Facebook is no longer just a tool to socialise with family and friends, it also acts as a platform for business networking and attracting new clients.
Parker Sandford will work with you to come up with an innovative Facebook presence, allowing you to maximise your company’s social media status and build your own Facebook community. Whether it’s designing a Facebook advertising campaign or creating a unique application we have all the skills to transform your page into something that will stand out from the crowd.
Your Facebook presence needs to be easily accessible from a variety of mediums including mobile phones. Our digital team also specialise in developing mobile friendly websites which will enhance usability.
Twitter
Everyday millions of people engage with each other using the social media platform Twitter and with over 100 million Twitter users now registered it’s a platform for you to speak to the world. It’s become so popular that now the business community have embraced it as a new way to communicate with customers and target customers in real time. Using Twitter allows you to promote your business and connect with people that matter to you.
The beauty of Twitter is that it doesn’t matter if you’re a huge international brand or a small independent local business Twitter provides you with the technology to broadcast your message, news and opinions to your audience using 140 character updates. By engaging and interacting via Twitter, you’re able to give your brand a voice and a personality making your company more approachable.
There are many ways to utilise Twitter – monitoring your competitors, broadcasting your news, promoting your services and asking for opinions but it's in engaging with your followers where you’ll see the real benefit. You can network, give your professional advice and talk about your services all by simply by updating your Twitter account on a regular basis. You may also find it useful for monitoring what people are saying about your business, positive or negative you’ll now have the opportunity to handle any feedback promptly.
Social media such as Twitter is often one of those things that businesses want to adopt but aren’t always sure where to start, and let’s face it - it can be confusing to just get the terminology right with language that refers to ‘tweets’ ‘followers’ and ‘twitpics’.
Here at Parker Sandford however, we understand how Twitter can deliver results for your business so whether you’re new to the world of social media or whether you already have a Twitter account ready for action – we can help make it work for you.
Linkedin
Linkedin is a networking website which acts as a marketing platform for ‘you’ as well as your business brands. The site is huge with over 100 million members worldwide and with 4 million of them in the UK this is a powerful networking tool with huge potential. It’s a site that focuses on business users and professional contacts so is more useful for business purposes than the likes of Facebook. Linkedin isn’t for about telling people what you’ve had for lunch or where you’re going on holiday but instead it allows you to profile yourself from a professional point of view.
Using Linkedin to broadcast opinion, give comment and share business news can position you as a leading voice in your sector or industry. Linkedin is a combination of a CV, business contacts list, news broadcast mechanism and a directory of business owners and suppliers – and when it’s used properly it’s an invaluable way to promote yourself, your personal profile and your business. You can even promote the content you create such as webinars and video presentations.
Here at Parker Sandford we understand that Linkedin can give you and your brand real exposure if managed properly, so we can show you how to make the most of your profile. Failing to fully complete your profile properly will mean that you’re not maximising the benefit of all that the site has to offer. We’ll show you how to position your company, engage with groups and network with contacts all at the click of a button.
