Axxis Buzz

Get started using Social Media effectively!

An important part of good marketing is touch, touch, touching your audience often.

Your prospects may not need your services right now, or maybe they don’t know they do… keeping your name in their minds, even subtly, gives you a far better shot at being in their mind when they DO need your services or have a chance to make a referral.

• Create a Facebook Page for your business. If you’re a small company, especially a sole proprietor or a company that benefits from personal relationships for business and referrals, this is a great way to increase visibility and educate your audience about what you do!
• POST! You should be posting at least a few times a week. I know, it seems like you won’t have anything new to say or will be beating the same horse, doesn’t it? Not true. You can re-post items from someone else, just ask and give credit where credit is due. Post about projects you’re working on or have worked on, case studies. Any time you can post in such a way that your audience can relate to what you post is the best. You can post intros to a longer idea or case study that is on your website by posting a link. This also serves to get people on your website.

o Overload is posting so many times in one day that you turn people off, or constantly SELLING. Example: There is a woman I’m connected to who actually has interesting things to pass along, but she posts so many times a day (sometimes over a dozen), and hard-sells for her business, that it’s obnoxious. I hid her posts from my wall within a week, and now I benefit from nothing she has to say. This doesn’t mean you can’t comment on other’s posts or post often, but try to avoid overload. Sometimes I hold things for a few days and post later to spread it out.

• Get visual! Using an image will always get your post more notice. Posts that include a visual get noticed on crowded “walls,” and are more likely to be read. Use different visuals for posts. Mix it up, keep it fresh. Use your phone camera to your advantage…figure out how to post to your page from your cell phones.

• Get a little personal! Don’t be afraid to show a little personality! Your knowledge, your expertise, your personality. Be human, have a little fun, make people think, but also make them smile. When you make people feel good, they feel good about you!

• Get connected! All the great posts in the world won’t matter if no one sees them. Network in person and add those people to your online network. Post a Facebook link on your website. Connect with those on your LinkedIn accounts. Connect with movers and shakers who have lots of connections; they have a large sphere of influence. Create a Twitter account and connect your Facebook page so that it automatically updates your Twitter feed.

The most important part is to jump in and let it evolve as you go. Watch how others use their social media; who is doing it well? What ideas can you use to be better?

I received a query this morning from my good friend, Zach Ferres, owner of BounceHost, an IT, web development, and hosting company. Zach is refining his company’s service offerings, and this has led him to re-branding. Zach has sent his design requirements to several designers, and has been having a hard time deciding which logo he should choose. I have been privileged to be included in his decision process, and follows is some of the advice I shared, which you may find useful.

“Hi Zach,

When I design a logo I think of the following things (among others) that may help you in your decision:

• Does the proposed logo strongly relate to your company, products, or services?
• Does it convey the brand image of your company, product, or service in an accurate way?
• How quickly and easily can it be interpreted by the viewer?
• Especially with small companies on a budget, will it reproduce well in black & white for inexpensive printing without losing the idea?
• How will it be used? Web, print, signage, billboards, vehicle signage, t-shirts, hats, etc… Is it simple enough to convey what you do and brand image quickly if it’s on a billboard or vehicle sign, viewed at 50 mph?
• If it might be used on an embroidered shirt or hat, can it be reproduced in that medium easily…without killing your budget?
• Will it detract from the medium it’s used in? Will it complement the message or overtake it?

You are suffering from choice overload. You are going about it the right way, given that you now have so many choices… the process of elimination is important. Narrow it down to 2 or 3, and let the remaining ones lurk on your taskbar or print them out. Walk away. Several hours or a day later, look at them quickly, and see what you gravitate to immediately. Your first impression is probably the best (your customers aren’t going to give it more thought than that).

Cheap Market Research:

Show your choices to others, and take only their very first impression. Email the two options to customers, put them on your Facebook page, take a vote. This will give you opinions and make your customers feel important and invested; you are engaging them, and this is always good!”

If you’re in the same decision process, putting your favorites into a design mock may be very helpful. What does it look like on a business card or on a web page? This can often lead to design considerations you may have overlooked! This will also lend perspective. Remember, your logo is important, but it’s only one part of the marketing materials you will use. Don’t let it get lost, but don’t let it take over and eclipse your message!

Do you want to vote on Zach’s new logo?

Here are my favorites from his choices: