Social Media for the Offline Customer

Another important service is managing a local businesses social networking. Many businesses rely on referrals for a bulk of their business. In the online world, social networking can be a huge source of these referrals. Unfortunately, most local businesses have no or little presence on the social networking sites. They think it is just something that the kids use and don't see the potential. This is where you have a great opportunity to increase visibility for the business.

The local business should have a social networking profile for all the major networks. The goal is to have a presence so that current customers can add the local business to their favorites list. People like to get recommendations from friends and families. Many business owners don't have the time to manage all the different social networking sites. As part of your service you can provide management services and status updates for the client.

The first step is to create the profiles for the business. Ask the client for any existing marketing materials and company messages. This will form the basis for each profile. Each profile must have a photo or logo so that potential customers will notice the brand right away. Be sure to fill in as much information about the business as possible and make sure the information is made public in the profile. At a very least include a link to the company website and the address and phone number.

Once the profiles have been created, it is time to create a status update plan. The profiles should be updated regularly in order to create the most buzz. The best way to get information for the updates is by sending a weekly email to the client. Ask them what is happening with the business and if they will be running any special offers that week. Also get any tips and tricks related to that business that customers will find helpful. The key is to create a sense of community rather than just an advertising message.

Finally, it is important to monitor the accounts for customer service issues. Any potential problems that arise should be taken care of quickly. Otherwise, things can spread quickly on the internet and you don't want your client to be caught flat footed.

Coming up we have even more ways to provide a top notch service for your clients.