Archive for February, 2010

Can Facebook Fans Equal Fall Financial Success

February 23rd, 2010

Guest Blog by Jann Davis
The Digital Dance Studio


What are you using to attract more customers for the fall of 2010? You have your email list, you have your website, your photos for the fall ad campaign are in place, so what’s next? Have you ever considered the power of Facebook to attract new customers to your facility? Facebook is growing every day, it isn’t just for the high school or college student anymore. Companies like Pepsi and Toyota send out daily updates to fans on their pages. Dance Vendors, Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Distributors offer daily articles or discounts to their fans on both Facebook and Twitter. So how can you expand your student base and attract more customers in your doors for the summer and fall?

Join Facebook and set up your own studio fan page, if you haven’t already. Then decide how you would attract a new customer into your facility. In a newspaper ad you might offer a coupon, you can do that on Facebook, or you might announce your summer program through your email customer base, you can do that too, and you can do it quicker and more efficiently. Everyday dance studios post class cancellations due to weather conditions, upcoming workshops or community events, kudos to their students in weekend dance competitions, just about anything they are currently offering in their studio. You don’t have to wait for ad design or approval from your local newspaper or until the next edition comes out to get feedback from customers. Facebook seamlessly integrates events (which you can request your fans to post on their walls to friends who are potential sales leads for you), information about your studio which you can edit without waiting for your website manager to do, or ask customers to review your studio in the review tab. You can upload latest videos of your dance events including competitions or mid-year performances; create a photo album of your latest fund raising effort, or post notes about recital picture days and rehearsals. How you use it to advertise is as creative as you want to make it.

I am not suggesting that you abandon the traditional methods you currently use. I am suggesting that you research the new concept of social media marketing for your facility. Recent articles suggest that a fan base created on Facebook increased a return of sales for most companies by 36%. In these economic times that is an investment worth researching.

Embracing the Bad from Social Media

February 4th, 2010

Clocks Backdrop by Backdrops Beautiful

We all love it when we get positive feedback on our products/services.  But what happens when we stumble upon a customer who has had a bad experience? 

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on why businesses are afraid of moving forward with establishing a presence on social media.  The number one concern seems to be reputation; the fear of consumers posting negative feedback on a bad experience with their service or product.  The only way to get past it is to learn how to embrace the good and the bad from social media.

I recently got introduced to Jenise Fryatt Co-Owner/Marketing Director of Icon Presentations (@lyksumlikrish) and her philosophy on Twitter, “Engage, Inform and Retweet.”  As the founding mother of the hashtag #EIR she has educated many on the importance of communicating properly on twitter to maximize your investment.  Engage:  the essence of participating in conversation, whether you agree or just liked someone’s post or link.  Inform: pertains to posting relative information within your community and/or posting links that you find useful or worth hearing about.  And finally, Retweet:  if you come across a great post or link repost (retweet) the information and make sure credit is given where it is due. 

Jenise’s philosophy on Twitter can easily be adopted by anyone, and can contribute to having a positive and successful experience on social media platforms such as Twitter.  If you’re engaging it means that you are listening to what everyone is saying about your product/brand.  These types of social platforms can facilitate a discussion, answer questions, or perhaps even solve concerns customers may have.  In addition, you will have access, in real time, to address any negative feedback.  I like to think of negative feedback as useful feedback.  This always provides an opportunity to improve and refine a situation.

Another important aspect to remember when using social media for your business is that it is imperative to be transparent with your customers.  In other words, don’t be afraid to show your face as you represent your brand.  Add a picture of yourself to make it more personal.  Consumers need to be able to identify who you are rather than be under the impression they are speaking with an icon.  Be professional but don’t be afraid to be who you are.  This extra step will make it easier to communicate with your customers. 

It is important to be accessible during a bad storm.  Don’t hide behind the storm but rather be in front to help guide the ship.  Your brand cannot afford to be drowned especially during a recession.  Customers will likely show compassion and forgive if issues are dealt with upfront in an apologetic way and establish a means of moving past it by having a plan.

Monitor your social media platforms.  It is meaningless to establish social media accounts if you’re not going to pay attention to what is going on.  There are many Twitter management tools on the market such as, TweetDeck and HootSuite, to help you keep an eye on your accounts.  These applications make it easier to manage your accounts since they are centrally located in one place and readily available in the palm of your hands via your iphone, blackberry, etc. or your desktop.  

The number one practice to remember and apply when participating in social media systems is to always listen.  Listening and responding to what customers are saying about your brand is essential to growing your business.  There is no point in trying to make a presence on social media platforms if you’re not taking action on what consumers are saying about your product or service. 

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs have allowed us to further brand our product and to connect with different industries and generate leads.  In addition to connecting with new people, social media can solidify existing relationships and help them grow into partnerships.