Social media is a wonderful way for your staff members to spread the word about your business; however, now and then, status updates and "tweets" from employees may actually hurt your company. Even while operating from the best possible intentions, staff members may occasionally play a negative role in how other people view your company; for example, their positive comments about your business may be accompanied by inappropriate language, questionable photographs (avatars or profile pictures) and politically incorrect links.

 

Smart businesspeople always monitor what is said about their brand online; today, this kind of diligence is extremely important, and these regular Web searches may tend to reveal issues related to "questionable mentions" on social media...some of which may come right from your own team...

 

If you're starting to notice that your employees are posting things that leave you troubled or edgy (or other people are making you aware of these iffy "mentions"), it may be time to formalize your approach as to how your staff members represent your company online. To get the best results, you must create some hard-and-fast social media guidelines and then enforce them carefully. Without these rules, it will be harder to mold the way your retail outlet is portrayed online.

 

 

For some business owners, making these sorts of rules may feel awkward; after all, it is kind of a sticky wicket...on the one hand, owners and managers want to reward their staff for getting the word out about their companies...on the other hand, they also want to ensure that every comment is politically correct, tasteful, and conducive to enticing new clients and keeping loyal clients happy.

 

Many owners fear that putting rules in place will simply deter their employees from ever mentioning the company name online. Obviously, a delicate balance must be achieved, and this type of balance will be more easily attained when owners and managers communicate honestly and openly with their staff. After all, a company must make money to thrive (and to keep everyone employed); if questionable commentary online has a detrimental (or uncertain) effect on business, it's very important to nip such mentions in the bud immediately. As long as rules are very clear, and shared with the upmost respect and tactfulness, no one will be confused about what is permitted with regard to online mentions...

 

Typically, most employees will understand and appreciate logical social media guidelines, rather than resenting them...especially when owners/managers take care to explain the rationale behind their new social media rules. While it will never be possible to control everything that is said about your company via the World Wide Web, there are a lot of ways to minimize damage from the kind of comments that you don't want to see...

 

Here are some tips that will help you to master social media and protect your company's online reputation...

 

Is a No-mention Policy Right for Your Company? Sometimes, owners or managers exert maximum control by forbidding employees to mention their companies online; in some cases, this is a wise strategy. How you approach the idea of a no-mention policy really depends on your own business and its overall reputation...for example, if you've built a solid business reputation through the years and worked hard to keep your corporate image clean and positive, controlling all mentions from your staff may be a great idea. After all, if it isn't broken, why fix it? Don't mess with a winning formula for success by letting questionable status updates and posts into the mix.

 

However, if you're still building your business and you need the most social media representations and mentions possible, banning staff from talking about your company may be counterproductive. Look at your business carefully and then examine the impact of a no-mention policy before you implement this new social media guideline.

 

 

To gain the delicate balance that you need without resorting to a no-mention policy, you must set a two-tier grouping of rules; in general, most companies who take this approach allow employees to tout the company's brand name, products, services, and special offers... however, these social media mentions must never have any references to specific clients, internal business processes, profits, losses, and so on. Everything that pertains to daily employment is private and confidential, whereas public information about the company is "safe" to mention.

 

Whichever solution you choose, carefully tailor it to reflect your long-term goals and your corporate mission statement. After initiating a social media policy, consider an organized policy of monitoring and reacting to positive and negative feedback that is posted online about your company. What is said about your firm online may be very detrimental to sales...and to your firm's overall reputation; therefore, cautious and appropriate damage control is often a good idea. If you're not skilled and savvy when it comes to social media, it may be wise to outsource monitoring and responses to someone who is.

To gain more customers, you must use your retail database to establish and exploit your particular market sub-segment, or niche. Learning from existing customers is the key to success, and all of the information that you really need should be found in a retail database that is filled with your current client's genders, income levels, buying preferences, and addresses. This sort of data is quite valuable - therefore, it must be carefully protected and then used in just the right way. If your database isn't up to scratch, it may be time to create a retail database that really works for your business...here are some things to think about:

 

Use Your Database to Promote - To inspire more repeat business, and to create positive word-of-mouth advertising that leads to important new connections, use your customer relationship management software (CRM) to build exciting special offers that target just the right buyers. Find out who the ideal client is by analyzing your database and determining the median age and income level of your clients; if you don't have this information, consider sending out surveys and customer feedback forms that clients fill out and then send on to your retail outlet.

 

You might also want to encourage customers to fill out these feedback forms up at the front cash, while your staff is ringing up sales. Keep your feedback forms simple and to-the-point; then, enter this information into your database regularly. You must make certain that this vital marketing information remains private; only employees that you trust should be allowed to see personal information about your customers...consider NDA (non-disclosure) agreements for staff members who work with confidential customer information.

 

Go over your sales records with a fine-tooth comb, and then decide what your ideal customers really want to buy; for example, if they are mostly interested in certain types of inventory, then create a special offer (such as ten percent off accessories for those popular items) that is exclusive to your mailing list. This sort of tailored and specific promotion will lure existing clients back to your retail outlet; they will also talk to friends and family about your business and the way it caters to loyal clients - this is win-win!

 

Set a time limit of a few weeks for special offers; give clients ample time to accrue funds for purchases, and to make firm decisions about taking advantage of the latest special offer. Feel free to run special offers from once a month to four times per year; people never get tired of saving money or earning incentives, and this type of targeted salesmanship won't damage the high-end reputation of your company.

 

Keep Your Marketing Message Concise - Use fresh, compelling graphics and lettering (fonts) to grab the attention of your mailing list; make sure your emails, letters, and flyers are simple and direct. Anything cluttered-looking or confusing will be skipped over or forgotten. Too much text is a mistake, as are multiple photos and too much information. Just lay out the details of your special offer, and then include current contact information...don't overcomplicate your message with a lot of excess words or pictures.

 

Make All Staff Aware of Special Offers - There's nothing clients hate more than contacting a business about taking advantage of a special offer, only to realize that the employee they are speaking to doesn't know what they are talking about. Therefore, when you use your CRM database to create the perfect promotion, don't shoot yourself in the foot by failing to "train" your staff about the features and duration of the special offer. Even part-time seasonal staff should be well-versed about any and all promotions; never send out a letter or email to loyal clients until you've called a meeting and informed every employee about everything that they need to know. This step is an essential part of making things work.

 

Often, people shop with friends (or relatives) who may also become loyal clients; this is why targeting existing clients will usually lead to new connections with other "ideal" customers. By data mining within your CRM database to create tailor-made promotions that resonate with your strongest demographic, you will put yourself ahead of your competitors. This cost-effective method requires frequent updates to the database, and periodic analyses of changes and new trends; however, it's well worth your time, as it can grow your business efficiently without costing a lot of money.

Today, there are more reasons than ever to tweak your copywriting skills; after all, by learning how to write effective, resonant ad copy for your business, you'll be able to hit the target every time you craft new Internet articles, press releases, and social media posts. Each ad should feature a headline, a tagline, subheadings, and a few paragraphs of engaging "body text"; your work should always grab attention fast, and each written promo that you create must also feature practical, important information about promo start dates, end dates, features (such as prices, incentives, and percentages off), and products. Sometimes, legal disclaimers may also need to be added to your posts...

 

Clearly, creating the perfect written ad, blog, or press release isn't as simple or straightforward as it seems; in fact, there is a lot to think about...and there are many pitfalls to avoid.

 

Here are some tips that will help you to write better ad copy for your company:

 

Your Headline is Incredibly Important - Many readers don't have the patience to wade through countless ads or articles to find the information that they're looking for...instead, they want you to spell out your message through a compelling headline that piques interest in your body text. Without the right headline, you'll be less likely to find the readers that you need. In the copywriting business, certain headlines have proven value...for example, starting an article with "How to..." is always a great idea. How-to articles that isolate a certain topic and then elaborate on tips and tricks for mastering that subject are very popular, because they are so practical and easy to understand.

 

A how-to article can easily be a sales article - all you need to do is add a linking paragraph at the end of the article that leads to your own business website and sale information. This subtly promotional type of "ad" is one of the most common strategies for promoting a company online, without actually saying "buy this", or "use this service". The beauty of these types of low-key ads is that they can be submitted to Internet "content mills" to boost Google rankings and build more exposure. Learn the art of creating the perfect headlines by writing some how-to articles that provide readers with information about your area of expertise...then, create a final paragraph that tells readers a little bit about you, the author, and your company...never forget to insert a backlink that leads to your official website.

 

Subheadings Should Include Keywords - If your ad will be posted online (and what ad isn't these days?), consider using targeted keywords in every subheading. An article with a word count of 500 or above should include one of two subheadings to break up the body text. Too much dense text turns off readers. Combine keyword-rich subheadings with short, concise paragraphs. If you're writing a traditional sales-y article, include product details and promotional information below your subheadings. Organize this information logically for best effect, and then wrap up your article with a concluding paragraph.

 

Throughout your body text, try to capture your company's essence by using adjectives to describe merchandise, service, or your firm's basic philosophies...for example, if your company is all about honesty, integrity, and good service, use honest, accountable, and caring as adjectives that describe your staff members. If your products are all about reliability, use adjectives such as durable, rugged, and practical to sell your items. If you're looking for clients who are adrenaline junkies or style mavens, show them that your products are cutting-edge and cool with adjectives such as fast, exciting, hot, and best. As you can see, the way you "spin" each sentence is very important...that's why understanding your ideal customer is so important...

 

With these tips, you'll be ready to find the right clients through polished copywriting that gets results; if you aren't up to the challenge, outsource the task to a freelance writer with a proven track record in the industry...

As an owner/manager, you spend ample time streamlining every aspect of your branding, marketing and business processes; however, if you're not working hard to create the perfect financing for your business, you may be missing an integral part of the puzzle...

 

In-house financing allows you to provide your valued clientele with pre-approval for consumer loans, and it all happens right at your place of business; within minutes, you can offer your clients the assurances that they need to make firm decisions about buying your products. Up-selling and cross-selling are so much easier when you partner with Crelogix to provide the very best in term financing; without this type of cutting-edge term financing, you may lose sales to competitors who are wise enough to offer the financial services that you lack...

 

Joining with Crelogix won't involve a lot of fuss or a difficult transitional phase; in fact, it's very easy, painless, and cost-effective. Our affordable services are tailor-made to the specific needs of your business and of your customers...we take care of all loan administration so you can continue to focus on selling your wares and organizing your company.

 

By partnering with Crelogix, you'll gain access to our 24/7 online pre-approval system...it's just so easy to offer competitive interest rates and low, monthly payment plans when you work with our company. We've eliminated the pitfalls of the past by taking endless phone calls, faxes, and unnecessary paperwork out of the equation...

 

Make the most of a brand new year by reaching out to our team of specialists today...when you use the power of Crelogix, you'll drive more business to your door, and you'll be able to market your products more effectively. These days, everyone wants payment plans that don't involve bank loans or credit card debt...when you join with Crelogix, you'll be able to offer the very best third-party financing right at your place of business...

 

Call or email us today to put the final piece of your business puzzle into place...