Visual
Communication: Social Media
For a
painting and decorating firm newly starting out, they may use Facebook as one
of their social media platforms.
The
purpose for using Facebook would be to promote their business and generate
interest in the products they have to offer.
They could also use it as a means of communicating with new and
potential clients. It is an easy place
for people to access information about their company.
One of
the main reasons businesses use social media, in general, is because it is a relatively
cheap or even free service and has the means to reach a wide audience. Even on a global scale.
Pinterest
may also be useful to a painting and decorating firm, as it is largely visually
based, it would be appropriate for a business wanting to promote services such
as painting and wallpapering. For this
type of service, potential customers are going to want to see evidence of the
firm’s work. Text alone, won’t convey
what it is they are trying to sell.
Also,
because Pinterest allows you to Pin posts from external websites, potential
customers don’t need to be looking for ideas solely on the Pinterest website. When they do Pin something from the firm’s
website, this is then shared with all the followers of that Pinterest user. Thereby enlarging the potential customer
base. Pinning also ensures people have a
record of viewing the firm’s online material.
Meaning it is more likely they would look that up again in the future.
When it
comes to personalising these platforms, on Facebook you can upload a profile
picture and a cover photo. Both these
images should be relevant to what the organisation does. For example, the profile picture could be the
company logo and the cover photo could be of the products they sell. In the case of a painting and decorating firm
this could be the wallpaper and paint they use/sell.
On
Pinterest, you can also upload a profile picture. You can also link your Pinterest account to
all the other social media services you use, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google+
etc.
Both
these platforms have an about section, where information about the organisation
can be added in more detail than what may be initially seen on the home
page. This can include the history of
the company, location, opening times, contact details, pricing et al.
Ways in
which the firm can connect with other users could be something such as the Like
function found on Facebook. By liking a
page or post, a Facebook user will, as a result, share that like with their
friends. The same goes for getting
people to follow a Facebook page. The
more followers a business has the more potential customers they will reach and
engage with.
Other
methods that can be used to help the business engage with its customers could
be something as simple as uploading an image.
This could be a photo comparing the before and after of a job that has
been completed. Thus showcasing their
skills. By adding a comment underneath,
this could encourage users to engage further by clicking on the post to see
what else has been said. Comments can
also give the firm the opportunity to answer people’s questions and find out
what is popular and what is not.
If people
like what they see, they may decide to share it. Their friends will then see that content and
may decide to like and share it as well.
This, again, will help the firm connect with more users and in turn
develop its customer base.
Pinterest
works in a similar fashion, where the content you like is pinned to a board,
which others can then see and pin to their
own boards.
Tools
that can be utilised in Facebook include uploading albums, where the firm could
showcase a particular brand of paint or wallpaper that is currently
popular. They could create an
event. Inviting people to come and view
what it is they have to offer. For
example, this could be an invite to something like an Ideal Homes exhibition.
Another
tool they could use, could be sharing the posts, websites or status updates of
other users. For instance, people
following something like Dulux paint, may come across the firm’s website
because of a post they have shared from the Dulux website.
On
Pinterest, one tool that is available is pinning to a board. The easiest way to describe it, is to imagine
you have a cork board on your wall, where you will put up or “pin” the things
you like. When someone sees your photo
on Pinterest they will “pin” it to their board of interests, online. They’ve
basically kept a copy for themselves.
In turn,
if their friends or followers see it and like it as well, they can “repin” the
photo to their own board.
Photo
don’t always have to be pinned, a user can simply “Like” it, as you would on Facebook. Comments can be added as well.
Finally,
like anything in business, social media requires a certain amount of
etiquette. There are unwritten rules
that any business should follow. These
include:
·
Having
a complete profile – Name, address, contact details, opening times etc
·
Always
keeping the page up-to-date.
·
Having
a professional cover photo and appropriate name.
·
Being
consistent in all your social media profiles, i.e. same name, same logo etc.
·
Using
proper English. Colloquialisms or “text
speak” should be left for personal communications only.
·
Never
using profanity or terms which could be considered offensive.
·
Not
being discriminatory.
·
Never
posting images that have inappropriate content, such as nudity, drug use or alcohol
misuse.
·
Not
answering queries within an acceptable time frame.
·
Only
discussing matters which are relevant to the business and that are not of a
private nature.
·
Not
airing personal views which could reflect badly on your organisation or those
employed within it.
·
Not
publishing personal contact details of employees or customers.
·
Not
constantly asking for likes or comments.
·
Not
spamming people’s inboxes.
·
Communicating
with customers via the business page and not your personal page.
