If you’re a small business owner seeking freelance writers for hire, you’re probably interested in increasing your company’s overall “exposure.” In other words, you want to boost recognition of your brand, logo, company name, products, or, ideally, all of the above. While this is a decent goal for a small business just starting out in the social media game, it’s important to remember that exposure shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. Getting your name out there simply isn’t enough; you must translate those likes and shares into actual sales and profit. But how do you make that leap? And perhaps more importantly, how do you make sure the exposure you attract isn’t the kind that will ultimately leave you out in the cold?
Excellent Content Will Go the Distance
One of the tried and trusted rules about posting on social media is that you should be sharing high-quality content with your fans and followers. This is important not only because it associates your brand with excellence, humor, and/or usefulness, but also because better content has a higher likelihood of being shared, even by people who you don’t think of as your inner circle of fans and friends. A recent study from the Facebook Data Team made clear that people are not only sharing content with their closest group of friends online, but that many shares actually come from “weak ties,” like acquaintances or businesses they follow. So if your initial goal is spreading your message and getting your name out there as a trusted source of great content, remember to post only high-quality, original content since you never know how far your posts and links will make it across your wide web of ties on social media.
From Shares to Sales
Once you get a good following going, it’s time to translate your “friends” into paying customers. While sharing stellar content is great for building positive associations with your company, a number of case studies make clear that offering exclusive discounts is one of the best ways to effectively solicit and close sales online. When paired with well-written content and a clear, compelling call to action, a promotional offer or coupon tends to motivate your fans to make their first purchase, especially since that’s the top reason customers tend to follow businesses in the first place!
Top Tools
Once you’ve got a series of well-written promotional materials in place, it’s just a matter of rolling them out and managing your response, but this task can actually be fairly overwhelming for the business owner who is new to social media. Luckily, there are a number of useful social media tools that can help you monitor and boost your sales. Many of these tools offer free trials, so try a couple out before making the commitment to see which interface makes the most sense for you and your business.
Caitlin C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
