Blogs » Articles » BUSINESS TIPS - Update

BUSINESS TIPS - Update

  • From Fire Mountain Gems

     

     

    Measuring Your Company's Success on Various Social Networking Websites

     

     

     

     

     

    As an entrepreneur, you'll want to try various mediums in order to get the word out about your jewelry-making supplies or finished designs. This may involve using everything from radio advertisement spots to the Internet. However, the internet has different channels that you can use to spread the news about what your company has to offer.

     

     

     

    While television and radio advertising can be straightforward, there are numerous ways that you can use the Web to promote your beading company. Social networking is a must for entrepreneurs who want to reach out to the masses, as well as their target audience. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter now give business owners a way to connect with consumers without having to spend a large amount of money.

     

    If you have been using social media as a marketing tactic, you know how easy it can be to click a few buttons and communicate with your audience. But how do you know if your efforts are paying off? While it may be easy to post a status update or a tweet, there's no way to immediately find out if you're actually reaching out to consumers, new and old. However, there are methods you can use to gauge whether you're making headway over time. Take the following tips into consideration to determine how to improve your social networking tactics and gauge your effectiveness.

    • Use call-to-actions, then keep watch
      SocialMediaToday.com reports that call-to-actions (CTAs) are the first step toward getting individuals involved in what you have to provide, and they can also measure the effectivenesss of your social networking efforts. When you post a status on Facebook, you give individuals the opportunity to comment or "like" your update. Similarly on Twitter, readers can retweet your post if they are interested in what you have to say.
      A majority of social networking sites allow individuals to sound off, whether it's a blogging website such as Wordpress or a social site such as Facebook. This gives you the perfect opportunity to determine how interesting your posts really are--how many people "like" your Facebook status update? How many retweets do you get on Twitter? Although these may seem like a minor way to determine how intriguing and successful your efforts are, they are an accurate depiction of what you're doing right on social networking websites.
    • Take advantage of provided measurement tools
      Many websites allow you to keep track of statistics that can benefit your personal research. For instance, Wordpress can provide you with data on how many hits your pages receive on certain days, as well as which posts have been the most popular in the past. Recently, Facebook rolled out a feature for fan page users that allows them to track which posts receive the most attention, as well as which ones have been shared the most. Although these tools are relatively basic, they are a great start to measuring the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
    • Consider different factors when gauging responses
      It can be exciting to receive a high number of responses to a post on one of your social networking websites, but just because people have commented on your post, doesn't mean that you're in the clear.
      The Globe and Mail reports that there are a few different factors to consider when assessing the effectiveness of your posts, whether they're on Facebook or Wordpress. First, determine the tone of the comments on your updates. It's important to take note of how many customers are making positive posts in contrast to those who are talking negatively about your update. Don't ignore the negative posts--take this as constructive criticism and use it to your advantage.

    Next, look at the volume of comments. A large number of posts can indicate that your update was effective and tip you off to methods that may be worth using again in the future. Finally, hone in on what your readers are specifically talking about. Is it a beading product, or another service that you offer? Understanding what interests your consumers can help you better communicate with them later down the line.

     

    Although it can be difficult to initially determine how effective your social networking efforts are, there are many ways that you can do so over time. If you're having difficulty, Idealware.org suggests creating goals to work toward when it comes to using these websites. For instance, set benchmarks on how many followers you want to gain over a specific amount of time. These types of objectives can help you stay on target when using the Internet for marketing purposes. In the end, you'll be happier with your results and improve your chances of finding success.