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Tips for Connecting with Your Local Community through Social Media

By Michelle Kopkash February 23, 2015

If your business is not already using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ to optimize online exposure, these five platforms are worth your time and energy to research. Social media platforms provide an easy, affordable method of actively participating with your community.

Below are 7 tips to help you increase your online presence locally:

Create and Constantly Update Your Business Facebook Page and Twitter Account

With over one billion active Facebook users and 284 million active monthly Twitter users, your business has a huge opportunity to reach new customers and keep current customers engaged. You can use these social media outlets to update followers about current deals you’re offering, upcoming in-store events, community news and other relevant topics that your local target audience will find interesting. Posts with links to thought-provoking content and creative videos are popular attention-grabbers these days on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Never ‘spam’ followers with junk sales pitches or irrelevant information; they’ll only become irritated with your excessive posts and end up blocking you.

Include Your City or County Name in Your Business Name

Many consumers now use Facebook or Twitter to search for local activities and businesses in their neighborhood. Ensuring that your company name appears in search results by utilizing the proper key words is important. Consider using the name of your city as part of your business name, so that when people search Facebook with their local city name, your company pops up. An example might be “Kiddie Academy of Roseville,” instead of just “Kiddie Academy.”

Pay to Promote your Pages, Business Events and Specials

One of the greatest aspects of these social media platforms is that targeted advertising can be done easily and with very little investment. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have useful analytical tools that will help you target the local region your business serves. Facebook now offers “Audience Insights” to its advertisers, which will allow you accurately describe who you’re targeting – their location (city, state and radius), age, gender, household size, interests, buying habits and more. You can pay a relatively small price to promote an advertisement, individual post or your entire Facebook page to help reach local audiences who might frequent your business.

Spread the Word about Local Events to Your Neighborhood Using Social Media

If you own a brick and mortar business, hosting events and activities at your store can help attract local customers. People are always on the lookout for local events. Plan special occasions for local business groups, affiliations, military personnel, MOM clubs and kid-friendly groups such as neighborhood Boy Scout troops or local high school teams. Or, help with a local fundraiser. Invite people to attend your events by creating a Facebook invite and tracking your RSVPs. Promote these events using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google+.

Foster Connections

Having back and forth online conversation with followers shows them you’re more than a business; you’re a human behind the business who wants to be out in the community making connections.

Connect with Local Online Groups – Take time to search for local groups within your community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. For instance, there are several local ‘moms’ Facebook groups in my community with over 1,000 followers each. Use LinkedIn to connect with local business leaders and business networking groups. Being involved in local online circles gives you the latest on what is going on and will allow you to occasionally share information with those followers.

Use Twitter to Engage with the Younger Crowds

Teens and tweens across the country are hooked on Instagram and Twitter, having fun with creative hashtags and searching for local happenings. Provide fun, engaging tweets about your business that include amusing video content, creative hash tags and comments on local events that the youngsters attend.