A company’s Social Media program is in intent, very similar to the reasons they  may employe search engine optimization programs. Both bring visibility to their web site, and web properties. Both are promotional devices.

Good SEO and Social media is nothing more than great P.R.  So to really understand either, a business needs to understand P.R. first.

I am not a P.R. expert.  What I do understand about it, is it’s all about making your business stand out, and attractive to your target market, and therefore you have to start with the well thought out process of knowing who your target market is, and what they want.

Notice the word want, not need in the above sentence. The number one mistake you can make is talking about what your prospects need. Frankly, a lot of what you think your prospects need, is really boring. Do you see Chevrolet promoting the most basic form of automobile transportation possible?  Nope, they promote the flash people want.  You should do the same.

So, your first two tasks in Social Media and SEO  need to be:

• Who are my people?
• Want do they want?

If you are a bagel shop (I use this because I once owned three of them) you can promote what your prospects need,  that being breakfast. ” Come get breakfast at Mike’s Bagel and coffee”

Or what they want.

“Come enjoy a freshly baked all natural bagel of your choice, served hot in 3 minutes or less. for less than $1.00”

Now you want to promote your coffee and espresso sales. Add this banner in your store.

“Turn in any used Star Bucks coffee cup, and get a free espresso”

And then, there is the simple premise that different gets noticed, and noticed is what you want to be.

Different: ” Our employees wear Pajamas on Tuesdays because…Tuesdays are PJ mornings at Mike’s Bagels.  Wear your pajamas and your bagel and Coffee is free!

How does this have any thing to do with Social Media?  Well, you just found what you can be promoting on your face book, Web Site and twitter properties.

Your people are the people that drive past your shop every morning and stop somewhere for coffee or breakfast.  The same cars going through the Starbucks or McDonald drive thru, could be in your store. Target your promotions to the zip codes that use the streets that go close to your Bagel Shop.  Send a coupon or welcome postcard to the zip codes that are clearly moving past your store on the way to work/school/ where ever, each morning. Don’t send to zips or area’s past your store in the main direction of traffic (Unless you are promoting Dinner).  On the postcard or letter, have your Face Book address,  and they can get their free stuff and see your current cool promotions there.

How does all this tie into SEO?  Simple, the more social followers you have, and tweats about your site, the more your sites rankings will improve.  Not only that, but if your Pajama Tuesdays takes off, people will start searching for Pajama Tuesdays and your site (which mentions it of course) will come up very highly for the term.

So I have just defined the basics of my social media strategy for Mike’s Bagels.   Start with the P.R.  and the rest will follow.

We would love to hear what great “Promotional” idea’s you have seen on social media for local businesses.

Related articles

• Social Media for SEO vs. Customer Engagement (toprankblog.com)