NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s no secret that millions of people, and an increasing number of businesses, interact on social media sites on a daily basis, sharing massive amounts of information.
However, the coin laundry industry lacks representation on many social media sites. And because of this, many storeowners are missing out on an effective tool to increase their business.
WHY USE SOCIAL MEDIA
As the economy continues to rebound, many coin laundry owners are still struggling to get business levels where they once were, yet many aren’t marketing their stores. To increase business, some marketing is necessary, and social media is a low-cost way to market and promote your store to millions of people. And it’s also easy and fun.
According to the Coin Laundry Association, one of the biggest advantages social media offers to consumers is a personal connection to the store. A good social media site can “paint a picture” of the coin laundry that consumers can identify with. Regardless of whether the Facebook fan has ever patronized the store, successful content on your company’s page will help create an environment of familiarity.
GETTING STARTED
Before you begin using social media, make sure your store is listed on Google Places, because many consumers use the Internet to locate businesses. You can create a free profile by visiting google.com/placesforbusiness. Follow the directions and upload a picture of your store along with the location, phone number, website and hours of operation.
Once this step is complete, if you don’t already have a personal page on Facebook, you’ll want to open an account by visitingfacebook.com, and follow the directions on the right-hand side of the page. Or visit facebook.com/business.
While there are a multitude of social media sites, from Twitter to Digg, statistics have shown that Facebook is the fastest-growing and most-used social media site in the world.
USING FACEBOOK
Through your personal Facebook page, you can open a company page for your coin laundry. Click on the “Create a Page” tab at the bottom of the home page. In order for your page to be a success, you will need to recruit fans. You can accomplish this by sending a request to your current Facebook friends on your personal page.
You can also choose to create your own pay-per-click ad that will be featured on Facebook. This form of advertisement lets you create your ad, and then set your own budget in terms of how much you want to spend to advertise your company’s page on the site. You can target your ad to specific demographics as well. For example, if you live in Louisville, Ky., you can target Facebook fans living within a 10-mile radius.
As your fan base increases, you will need to make sure you’re updating your page with relevant and interesting content that not only keeps your fans coming back each day but will also drive them into your store. Plan on spending a few hours a week updating your page.