If we had a pound for every person who had said that social media is not for business it’s about stating that you’ve just had a cup of tea or what you had to eat that day. We could have made a fair bit of money. There is a lot of cynicism, scepticism and distrust about social media. Like any communication tool it has its pro’s and con’s and like any communication method the rule of thumb is simple, never say anything on it that you wouldn’t be happy saying to someone’s face! However in the Bright Light Marketing office we are a champion of social media. Why? Well because it brings us business direct to our door, it’s free to use and we use it very effectively for our clients. So we thought we would showcase some examples from three different professions – retail, tourism and professional services.
Retail and social media fit together like a hand in a glove! They go so well together and showcase each other perfectly. Facebook and Twitter are particularly effective tools for retail. Facebook to keep in touch with your existing customers and Twitter to raise awareness and promote your product to new customers. Retailers we work with use the medium to communicate individual products, promote special offers with the bargain of the week working very well, plus of course letting people know about sales and other special promotions and promoting the retailers website as well as their physical shops if they have them.
Tourism also lends itself to social media and has arguably led the way in showing other businesses how social media can be used for effective communication. Fiona Drane from Bright Light Marketing is one of the #scotlandhour team. #scotlandhour was started by Douglas Baird in August 2011 and was the first time a destination had been promoted in this way on Twitter. #scotlandhour takes place on the last Wednesday of each month from 9pm to 10pm with a different theme every month on some aspect of Scotland from its events and festivals to its history and heritage. The last #scotlandhour had an audience of 560,000 people worldwide promoting reasons, places and things to see and do in Scotland. It was the first destination to promote itself on Twitter in this innovative way though has now been joined by many others. Tourism businesses involved not only get to promote themselves to a world - wide audience but also get business as a result. #scotlandhour was recently debated in the Scottish Parliament and the #scotlandhour team were delighted to be present at the debate. Fergus Ewing (minister for energy, enterprise and tourism) said
“I want to see what more we can do in Government to work with the organisation that has brought so much credit to this country to develop and achieve even more for this great country of ours through the use of social media.”
Social Media works for tourism and can promote individual businesses and destinations reaching bigger audiences than ever before. Don’t just take our word for it here is a quote from a #scotlandhour participant.
“I know of at least one booking from someone who follows me on Twitter, having discovered me during Scotland Hour.”
Finally social media works for Professional Services. It allows them to promote themselves as experts in their field. You can answer questions on your area of specialism, participate in groups, promote articles that assist others including writing your own articles where you can really showcase your expertise. It is an opportunity to promote your website on a regular basis thereby increasing traffic to your website. You can let others do the talking by using client testimonials. Basically it is an opportunity for you to keep your business in your existing client’s minds and reach new audiences.
Bright Light Marketing work with a range of clients on social media. Either getting them started on their social media journey or running their social media account for them. Are you on social media and not getting the best out of it? We can advise you on what to do to make the most of it. Or have you not yet promoted your business on social media? We can get you started. For more information contact Fiona Drane on 01750 505053 or email fiona.drane@brightlightmarketing.co.uk.