Social Media Tools

Learning about other social media tools was amazing because there are so many different ways to expand and grow, yet most people only stick to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!  Many of the tools were new to me and I think could help my business grow.

1. Google +:  I think Google + is an awesome idea for my business for the Google Hangouts feature.  With a business like mine, I think creating a relationship with my audience is a key factor.  Nobody wants to workout or take advice from someone who they are unfamiliar with or don't feel comfortable around.  Meeting potential customers on Google Hangouts would be awesome to build relationships and expand my company.

2.  Although my business is not large, I think Groupon would be a great way to promote sales and reach out to customers.  If someone were to get the offer to have a month's worth of training for only the price of one single session, I think it would really motivate and encourage people to try it out.  Especially with the holidays coming around, a great gift would be some workout sessions for that person who has always wanted to get into the best shape of their life.

3.  Linkedin also seems like a great tool to use to help my business grow.  The fact that it allows you to connect with other people in your profession is the best part of it.  By doing so, you can work together with other people and make connections.  For example, I could meet another personal trainer who is trying to expand his business and potentially team up and work together.  This could lead to great success and even maybe the growth of a chain company or maybe even the start of a new gym.  The key to success is who you know and how you communicate.  I think Linkedin is a very underrated tool that could be the key factor to a successful company.

4.  Although not the most helpful, I think Yelp could also benefit me to a degree.  If people want to learn more about me, reading reviews is the make or break.  If your business gets great reviews, your business will thrive.  However, if it has bad reviews, it could plummet.  So as long as you keep a good relationship with your customers and create a comfortable environment and be as helpful as possible, good reviews should come flowing in.  I know that if I see a good review on a certain company or business, my likelihood of visiting that place is much higher than if I went on impulse.  So yes, I believe Yelp would be beneficial to the expansion of my customer base.

Marketing Social Media

Marketing on social media can be very tricky, but if executed properly, could imply huge success for you and your business.  First off, developing a fluid and strong mission statement is important because that will grab the audience's attention immediately.  I think one of the most important ways to market your business is through interaction with your audience or customers.  Whether you visually connect with them through videos or have open chat sessions, I think it is a great way to let people open up to you and hopefully recommend your business to their friends.  Another key aspect of marketing is listening and asking questions.  Ask your customers, "what would you like to see out of me?" or "how can I improve my business to make your life easier?"  This will show that you are willing to make sacrifices for the customer and portray a strong sense of loyalty and character, which is valued.  Creating a Linkedin account is another excellent way to branch out and expand your options.  It allows you to create specific ads and messages for each type of audience you have.  Honestly, I think taking the honest route of hard work and communication is the best way to expand your business, having payed ads is just a bonus that could make your life a little easier.

Blogs I commented on:

1. kyledonnellyy.blogspot.com

2. http://jeliwilson.blogspot.com/

3. cameronsufficool.blogspot.com

Ads!

I think for my personal business, I would not use Facebook ads to help promote and expand it.  My business isn't really a huge corporate company that people all around the world could benefit from.  I have more of a localized company/business so ads  like that wouldn't suit me the best.  I think the best way to promote my business would be in local stores around my area such as flyers in grocery stores and such.  Another useful way would be in local magazines or newspapers.  However, if I were to advertise through Facebook, I would go with the ads that are placed periodically on one's timeline because it seems as if everyone disregards the ads that are on the side of the screen.  If one scrolls down their feed and sees a local ad, I feel like they would be more inclined to try it out!  My budget would be very minuscule because I think social media ads never seem to work.  Everyone seems to regard them as spam or useless, so it would be quite pointless to spend money on something that may not get me any more business.  Below are a few possible ad ideas.  I think mixing humor in ads will make the viewer more open and inclined to buy into your business.

Blogs I Commented on:

http://cameronsufficool.blogspot.com

http://kyledonnellyy.blogspot.com/

http://loricargile.blogspot.com/

Newsletters

I think having a newsletter for my business would be an awesome idea that could help it expand and thrive.  I think a monthly newsletter would be appropriate for my business style. Weekly might be a bit too much and quarterly not quite enough. Having a  newsletter would be a great way to inform existing customers and reach out to potential customers.  It would also give me a chance to see how satisfied they are and what they would want to see more of.

Having a monthly newsletter containing the following would be perfect because it gives me a chance to interact with my clients and potential customers.

Content would include:
Videos
Motivational tips
Exercise tips
Promotions/giveaways
Discounts
Success Stories
Questions/Comments

Categories

Categories would suit my blog perfectly because I could separate different types of workouts as well as specific body parts.  For example, if somebody wanted a high intensity workout there could be a category for that.  If someone didn't want high intensity, but wanted a steady paced cardio workout, there would also be a category for that.  This will help me stay organized and help the viewers easily find what they are looking for quickly and easily.  Lastly, having specific muscle groups in their own category would improve the organization and accessibility.  This could have info and tips on how to properly work the muscle and how to do so and also what not-to-do's.

Blogs I commented on:
Kyle Donnelly
Paul King
Cameron Sufficool