8/6/2019 Chamber Flyer Aug 2011

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Thinking About Social Media for your Business?

The popularity of social media marketing by Otago businessesis mushrooming according to a new survey.

Otago businesses are switching onto the benets of social media in ever-increasing numbers, according toDunedin marketing communicationscompany Word Wizard.

Creative director Lynnaire Johnstonsays the number of businesses addingsuch social media tools as Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn to their marketingstrategies is multiplying rapidly. WhenI moved my business here in 2008I expected it would be two years ormore before local companies realisedthe advantages of social mediaand got on board, but I completelyunderestimated the appetite for newmedia, she says.

In fact, inside 12 months I began

receiving enquiries about setting upand managing social media sites forcompanies. This clearly demonstratesOtago businesses are keen to keepup with national and internationaltrends, and refuse to be left behind.

Facebook Not First Choice

The Word Wizard survey found thatFacebook was not necessarily therst social media platform businesseschose to utilise. Rather, businessowners and professionals, especiallyin service industries, were choosing to

have a presence on the professionalsocial networking site LinkedIn rst.Only once they were comfortablewith that did they tend to move on toFacebook and set up a business pagethere.

Lynnaire Johnston says, Themost likely reason is that Facebookis still seen by many businesspeopleas a personal rather than businessplatform. And while that can be true, itdoesnt have to be the case.

The survey also found that micro-

blogging site Twitter was running adistant third in popularity with Otagobusinesses. Word Wizard believesthats because it is seen as a youngpersons platform.

In fact, thats a misconception.People of all ages have adopted

Twitter, and it became a very importantresource after the Christchurchearthquake in February.

One example of an early adopter

of social media marketing is Dunedinfashion store Rend Rig. OwnerPeter Dean added both Facebookand Twitter to his other marketingtools earlier in the year as a way ofincreasing the brands prole. Whileit is early days he recognises thatsocial media is a long-haul game heis pleased with the result.

One of the advantages for retailersis the ability to promote time-limitedspecial offers, he says.

Caution Advised

While there is a denite rush toadopt social media, Word Wizardadvises caution. Lynnaire Johnstonsays companies need to considertheir objectives carefully and whetherusing social media will be a positiveaddition to their marketing toolkit or

just drain resources for little return oninvestment.

Many business owners areunaware of the commitment involvedin social media. It is not something tobe entered into lightly because unlikeother marketing methods it is a two-way interaction with customers. Youwouldnt begin a conversation witha customer and walk out part-waythrough. Neither should you do soonline.

Social media sites require regularupdating but after the initial excitementhas worn off many people dontmaintain their pages with anythinglike the required amount of frequency,Word Wizard says.

Unless people see a huge numberof likes, links or follows, businesses

seem to give up. This is a shamebecause all the time and effort put inhas then been wasted. The solution isto contract the maintenance of theirsite to companies like Word Wizard.

Benets of Social Media

There are many reasons why

social media should be employedas a marketing tactic by businesses,one of which is an increased onlinepresence. Social media sites provideimportant links which can improve thesearch engine rankings of a business.They can also add back-links to acompanys website which also assistin the ranking process.

But Word Wizard believes thatsnot the most important reason forDunedin businesses to be thinkingabout social media. The internet isbecoming increasingly powerful andthe way we communicate and dobusiness is changing. Companiesthat see the opportunities they offer

to have meaningful dialogue with

customers for example and adoptthese new technologies will be thosethat succeed. Those that bury theirheads in the sand and say we dontbelieve in the internet are those thatwill ultimately be left behind.

Word Wizard provides a rangeof professional writing and onlinemanagement services for weband social media sites. Its highlyexperienced team has expertisein writing brochures, yers,advertisements, sales letters,

media releases and other marketingmaterial.

Special offer for Chambermembers: a no-obligation chatwith our social media specialistabout your social media needsPLUS one hour free on all projectsor contracts over the value of $500.

Helping Businesses Get Noticed

0800 WIZARD

03 482 1364

0274 926 470

info@wordwizard.co.nz

www.wordwizard.co.nz

www.facebook.com/wordwizard