Using Social Media To Promote Local Business
Online, March 21, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Usually Social Media websites like Facebook, twitter, Linkedin are employed by big businesses to promote their products and services in a major way globally. But now social media is gradually being employed to promote local businesses too.There have been some really good examples of some renowned businesses which used social media to promote themselves locally like Mars Cafe,Expedia,Studio Movie Grill and Dunkin Donuts.
Is there a place for a small neighborhood business like yours in global sites Twitter or Facebook? Business wise, is there an advantage? Of course, there is. The beauty of online marketing through social media is that it gets your sales pitch to everybody. This means that you can launch a local social media campaign to attract local customers, with the help of these global-catering sites.
Successful Local Social Media Stories
Here are a few of the entrepreneurial spirits that grew their business with the help of ingenious local social media campaigns:
1. Mars Cafe. They employed Twitter and MySpace to establish an easy-going relationship with Iowa University customers. A "Twitter Tuesday" promo for students and teachers is claimable with a school ID. $1-coffee offers can be claimed when customers know the keyword posted earlier at Twitter.
2. Expedia. Online travel booking company Expedia is operating globally but maintains numerous local accounts. Expedia Chicago tweets the best round trip deals to and from Chicago every day. Twitter customers also get last minute travel and hotel deals that are cheaper than standard rates.
3. Studio Movie Grill. This Dallas-based cinema house operates an online ticket reservation system. They use Facebook and Twitter for local social media campaigns filled with announcements on special movie screenings and promos.
4. Dunkin Donuts. Their local campaigns are a mix of corporate- and branch-level Facebook offerings. Customers get a close look inside their kitchens, learn about their chefs, and receive a steady dose of news on local stores everywhere.