Small business web design- Why social media is key to your business success

Social media has become a pivotal part of a successful marketing campaign – and business growth. In the beginning, it can feel like a minefield littered with more questions than answers; what can I post on social media? Why do I need it? When should I post? Why is it important to my business?

Luckily, you’re in the right place to clear up some of these questions, here are some of the key reasons to implement and extend your social media use right away!

Social media is important to the success of small businesses

An SEO strategy will provide focus and measurable outcomes for your social media usage. Set targets: want to build up 100 followers a month? Perhaps make two sales a week directed from your latest Instagram post?

Explore ‘stories’ and mixed media such as images, videos or ‘live sessions’ to see what gets your message out best. This will help to increase your brand’s recognition. Research by referral marketing platform Ambassador revealed that 7 in 10 (71%) of people who have a positive social media experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others… and it doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Small business web design can be a considerable – albeit essential – investment. However, using social media will direct more people to your site and can be a comparatively cheaper way of advertising than traditional marketing methods; maximum impact, minimal outlay.

Keep it fresh – and create original content

The first hurdle many small businesses face when it comes to increasing their social media presence is
apparent lack of content. Fear of creating poor content leads to many creating no content – which can be far worse.

Blogs are a worthwhile way to deliver your views, news, and expertise without appearing to force it upon your followers. Regular blogs will keep your site riding high on Google, and will give more people more opportunities to visit your website – making you more likely to gain new customers!

“But my business doesn’t have an individual story. I’m a local SEO company. Or, I’m a butcher, a hairdresser or a lawyer”: A common, and untrue perceived barrier to social media usage.

Every brand has a story to tell – it’s all about how you narrate it. Take Oreo – how many interesting posts can a biscuit company possibly have on a regular basis? Ask their 850,000+ followers! Oreo’s powerful social media strategy sees the brand take every opportunity to be topical and witty has earned the brand a legion of followers. An example is when the 2013 Superbowl where the power went out for more than 30 minutes. Oreo tweeted an image simply saying “you can still dunk in the dark” which was retweeted more than 15,000 times! It became one of the talking points for marketers around the world following the event. It is a fantastic example of how a little creativity and a small outlay can reap big rewards – millions of dollars for Superbowl advertising not essential!

Take the ‘Oreo’ approach in your marketing campaign and incorporate blogs and snippets onto your social media stream to express your business’ narrative in a unique and engaging way. It doesn’t have to be directly related to your products, services or even business to be effective!

Timing is everything

Strike a balance. You don’t want to deter followers by posting every five minutes, but you also don’t want to have an inconsistent stream of posts and get lost in the abyss. Use software such as Hootsuite to help plan and schedule posts. Spend one day scheduling a week or a month’s posts. Respond to comments on a daily basis rather than having to create content every day – your time is precious and posting can easily take a back seat when a busy period arrives.

And be sure you carefully time your postings. If you are a New York-based content marketer, be sure to be posting about content marketing services in New York , during the most optimal time. If you’re posting at 3am then there’s little chance of traction. Best time spots differ for each social platform.

But you know your customers (and their likely daily grind) better than anyone. Be conscious of this when posting!

We recommend the following best times to post:

Facebook: Sat. & Sunday 12:00 – 1:00, Thurs. & Friday – 1-4pm Peak time Wed. – 3:00

Twitter: Monday – Thurs. – 12-3:00pm, Peak time – Mon.-Thurs. 5-6pm

LinkedIn: Tues., Wed., Thurs. – 7:30-8:30am, 5-6pm, Tues. 10-11:00am, 12 noon

Pinterest: Saturday 8-11:00pm, Fridays 3pm

Your digital storefront is just as important as your physical one
(…especially if you are an e-commerce venture based purely online!)

Masses of visitors from social media directed to a poor website can be detrimental. It will put people off visiting again. A successful marketing campaign is reliant on a modern, regularly updated website. Your business isn’t static, and your website shouldn’t be either! Employ experts to ensure your website is working to its full potential every day, and is optimized for your individual customers’ preferences.

We hope you found this useful. If you have any questions – or would like advice on your social media, or wider marketing campaign – please do get in touch. Sources: https://coschedule.com/blog/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/

This is the syndicated copy of an original article posted at https://hummingbirdwebdesign.com/why-social-media-is-key-to-your-business-success/

Content Marketing Agency in New York and beyond: Tell Your Story

Today a website is a necessary tool and crucial to the success of most businesses. Whether you are a Web Design Agency in New York, a bakery in rural England, a dog sitter in Paris or a financial adviser in China, this applies to you. E-commerce websites can have the sole function of being a digital shopfront, whereas others form an essential information repository for customers. One thing is certain; whichever industry you are in, and wherever you are based, the chances are your competitors are already online. You therefore have got to get your brand ahead of the game in order to capture those all-important visitors and compete with business rivals.

Here we cover some of the basic fundamental principles that should be part and parcel of every website. Incorporate these elements into your site to stand out as the best Local SEO Company in NYC, or the most established lawyer in LA.

Tell your story

Every organisation has a narrative. The one man bands and the multinational conglomerates each have their own individual story to tell. It is this individuality that provides part of a brand’s identity and it is so often mistakenly overlooked.

Where did it all begin?

Why did you set up your business?

What’s your favourite case study or success story that has stood as a marker to your success?
Avoid being generic or cliché, and make sure the tone used is aligned with that of your sector’s: tailored to your target audience’s interests, all the while ensuring to be ‘you’.

It’s a big ask, but it really pays off. Millennials in particular are known to select their favourite stores, banks and service providers based on a company’s ethics and history – not jargon and the ‘hard sell’.

Take the time to really think about how you want to be perceived and test with friends, family and your target audience – A story or detail that you find irrelevant could well be the hook that brings the hoards!  Most people want to know whom they’re doing business with. Your story, your company history may be the reason why a potential customer chooses you over a competitor.

Stand out

There are few things more off putting to potential customers than a static or dull website. Be sure to update it regularly with interesting and pertinent stories or updates. Add new information; new industry information, new techniques, new offers, inspirational quotes, cool images or videos.

Neglect your website and it will fail to be the powerful tool you need it to be – it will also slip further into the ‘black hole’ region of Google results pages (who really looks past page two?!)

Stimulating functionality, a useful app, interesting design and lots of multimedia content – anything from podcasts to interactive white papers, videos or games all work really well to help your website stand out from the rest and to help tell your story. Including original content also adds a rich layer of personality and history to your all-important brand identity.

Hire a professional

If you are a little lost and unsure where to begin then you are not alone. Many businesses fail to ‘see the wood from the trees’ when it comes to their websites and branding, as they are so used to the same lines and every day running. Many companies simply do not have the time to put the necessary work into a website.

A fresh, professional set of eyes can make a huge difference and provide a new perspective to breathe new life into your company website. A simple search for a Web Design Agency in New Yorkbrings up hundreds of results, but you need to be confident you are finding somebody who specialises in your type or size of company.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution – because let’s face it, that would be pretty dull! A professional web design agency is a sound investment, and one which very often pays for itself in no time at all once your new and improved website is up and running.

There are a lot of out of the box options for websites but they often are restrictive in their functionality and stand out for the wrong reasons – they all look broadly the same. For a website as fantastic and as individual as your business, leave it in the safe hands of experts. You wouldn’t cut your own hair or invest in stocks without professional advice, so it is important to treat your website with the same level of gravitas.

For more information on content marketing, web design or SEO – please get in touch with us to identify and build a website that is a perfect fit for your company, customers and budget.

This is the syndicated copy of an original article posted at https://hummingbirdwebdesign.com/content-marketing-agency-new-york-beyond-tell-story/