The explosion of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have made social media a popular marketing tool, but simply setting up a social networking pages is not enough to draw potential and existing clients to those pages. You have to let people know you have a presence on social media sites. In order to bring customers to those sites, you have to let them know that you have a presence there. A great way to do that is to include social icons and links on your marketing material.Advertising & Printed MaterialsYou should be adding social media icons and links on all of your advertising material – brochures, flyers, newsletters etc. By adding social media icons to these advertising materials, you are letting your clients and potential clients know that you are using social media and they will be more likely to find you on those sites. Putting social media icons on your advertising material provides a tangible connection to your agency’s online community.The social media icons can also be added to any form of printed material, not just advertising materials. You can include them on receipts and invoices and any other printed material you issue to clients on a regular basis.Business CardsHaving social media icons on your business cards is another great way to market your social media presence. Whenever you meet a client or potential client, you are going to give them your business card, so why not have your social media links on your business card?Including social icons of the social networks you most use, lets your prospective clients know that social networking is part of your marketing mix.Below are two examples of business cards with social icons on them. Which one do you think is best?
Personally, I think that they both go a little overboard with the number of social networks they are promoting (read on below to see why you should only include your primary social networks on your marketing material). That said, the second business card has an air of professionalism to them, and if I were putting social icons on my business cards, I’d take some inspiration for that card.In Your WindowIf you have a front window display, you should be promoting your social networks in the front window. People who are looking at your window are will see your “Find us on Facebook” window card. If they are a genuine buyer or potential vendor, they will likely look you up on social networks to see what kind of information you are sharing.Adding Social Media Icons & LinksAdding social media icons and links is an excellent way to promote your agency’s social media identity, but it must be done properly. Make sure you use the icons that say “Find us on Facebook” and “Follow us on Twitter”. Perform a Google Image search for the icon you are looking for and thousands upon thousands of them will appear in the search results – pick one that you like and use it. People recognise these icons and will be more likely to search and find you on the social networks they are using.It is important not to go overboard by adding too many social media icons and links, as it will look cluttered and may overwhelm your client. I recommend not using the social media icons at all on your business cards, and only having the links to your social media accounts on them.Be intelligent about which of your social pages you are promoting - If you are more active and have a bigger following on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, it may be in your best interests to only include your Facebook and Twitter information on the marketing materials instead of having your LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube information on them as well.The Importance of Offline Promotion of Your Social PagesBy promoting your social networking pages in your marketing materials, print advertising, on your business cards and in your window, you an ensuring that more people are aware that you are running social pages. It means that you are increasing your potential audience on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It will also give people the impression you are a more tech-savvy agency than your competitors who are not running with a social media strategy.
