Simplicity and Social Media….Do they really go together?

By Aubrey Watts | May 7, 2010

Simplicity and Social Media….Do they really go together?

In an age where advertising isn’t just about a billboard and a plan, many marketers are running around in circles trying to figure out the next platform to follow. While most large companies are looking for the next big thing, the next idea to get them ahead of everyone else, we like to remind our small business owners that simple can still be better.

What Is All The Fuss Really About

From Twitter and Facebook to Foursquare and Gowalla, there is plenty to choose from in the social media world when it comes to creating buzz without spending the cash. If you have asked yourself many times, “Why does any of this matter to me?” It’s simple. Advertising to your customers not at them, can be the best way to reach multiple demographics at one time.

While traditional advertising can still play an important role in any business owner’s marketing strategy, social media can play just as an important part in the grand scheme of things. Just as word of mouth between friends, family and co-workers can raise brand awareness in a traditional way, social media takes it to the next step. In turn, this allows them the opportunity to exploit their experience with your business to as many people as possible.

But what if they are sending out negative Tweets?

Keeping an eye on social media platforms like Twitter can save you from a world of hurt later on down the road. By now, everyone knows about the trouble Toyota faced with bad design. Instead of consistently denying there was a problem, they finally took a step back, entered the world of social media, and apologized for what was happening.

The same can happen for your business. Whether you are a hotel owner or a small mom and pop store owner, knowing what people are saying about your services gives you the upper hand. Negative reviews keep coming in? Figure out a solution, fix the problem and promote the heck out of the changes you made.

It’s really that simple……I promise

Besides giving you the opportunity to chase after problems or advertise successes, use social media to offer deals, promotions and giveaways – marketing your business in a very simple yet effective way.

Through a simple tweet yesterday, Starbucks announced:

Starbucks Starting tomorrow, it’s Happy Hour at Starbucks! try a @Frappuccino for Half-Price from 3-5pm! (until 5/16)

Let’s just say that the madness is on and Starbucks will be cashing in big on this deal.

Included in that tweet was a link to a video promo posted through YouTube. All together, Tarah and I gave this post an A+ for their marketing efforts.  In fact, we are probably on our way over there now to take part in this amazing deal!

Finally

This can be overwhelming, scary and sound downright crazy to most but overall, at the end of the day, we’ll tell you what we tell all of our current customers: Just do it! Social media is cheap, quick and with the right strategy, one of the best ways to reach a large audience quickly.

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