Live in Atlanta: Business Owners Share How They Turned Social Followers into Customers

You don’t need us to tell you how important it is to be active on social media as a business. The proof is in the pudding. But how can you take a social media following and turn it into customers? And how can you keep that momentum going?

Recently, we paired up with Mailchimp and a panel of social media rock stars in Atlanta for an educational event focused on marketing. These merchants shared how they use social media to gain new customers and keep current ones coming back.

The panelists discussed everything from how to think about the impact of social media on mental health when you’re marketing your business to how you should incorporate employees and customers into your social strategy and how to get the most out of posting on social with less frequency but more impact.

Some of our favorite tips from the evening include:

• Support your community: Partner with fellow local business owners to produce content. For example, hire a photographer for social photos, and make sure you tag them on your feed.
• Engage your employees: Your employees deserve recognition and love to showcase their work, too. Ask them to submit their own photos. You can build up a library of content to post, and it creates pride amongst your team.
• Branch out: Engage with #hashtags online with popular users similar to you to attract new followers.
• Use stock photos: You can easily utilize free (or inexpensive) stock photos to supplement your own photography. Try companies like Unsplash, iStock, or Shutterstock.
• Be specific: Change your messaging for each social channel you post on. For example, speak differently to professionals on LinkedIn vs. followers on Instagram.
• Create conversation: Use social media to build one-to-one interaction and engagement with your customers. Instead of talking at people, create conversations to speak with them.
• Provide value: In addition to your branded content, provide educational posts for your audience. You’ll position yourself as an expert in your industry, while sharing interesting and useful information. Make your audience sure that their follow is worthwhile.

If you’re in the Atlanta or Pittsburgh areas, check out the upcoming events we have planned for business owners. And learn more about turning social media followers into customers from our partner Mailchimp here.