Social media help suburban company grow
Wondering whether Facebook and other social media should be part of your marketing plan? Take a look at Just Credit Solutions, LLC, a Geneva company that provides education and counseling to help consumers take control of credit issues.
With a nationwide network of more than 30 affiliate partners (you and I would call them referral sources), credit consultants and sales reps, Just Credit Solutions seems well on its way to becoming a major player in its sector.
Facebook is part of the reason.
“There’s some negative stigma attached to credit repair organizations,” says Christina Anderson, managing partner at Just Credit Solutions. “Facebook has helped us create credibility and buzz.”
Facebook isn’t the sole reason Just Credit Solutions is enjoying success, but there is no doubt that the company’s social media plan is a factor.
JCS two months ago hired its own social network marketing director, Jackie Bowman. It’s her job to connect Just Credit Solutions with the marketplace through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Here’s how Bowman approaches her task:
ŸFacebook currently is the primary focus. Bowman spends 15 minutes posting there at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, when research indicates Facebook users open their day, but she spends as much as three additional hours daily researching material to post.
She’ll occasionally add another post at 5 p.m.
“I post things that are relevant to what we do,” Bowman says. Her postings, for example, center on such topics as budgeting or factors that determine a credit score.
Bowman posts less often on Twitter and LinkedIn; both, however, are due for greater attention.
ŸHer posts don’t sell. “Social networking is a way to stay connected with people — your classmates, family and co-workers,” Bowman explains. “It’s a way to let them know what’s in your mind, what’s going on in your life.
“We’re trying to build relationships with these people. We want the cyber world to know who we are — and that we care who they are.
“You’ll unfriend me very quickly if all I do is sell.”
ŸTwo months into Bowman’s tenure, JCS has slightly more than 120 Facebook likes (fans) — far short of the thousands big companies boast but a good beginning for a smaller entity. Likes are important, because that’s the way Facebook companies spread their message.
“Our biggest thing was to get staff involved,” Bowman says. “We want them to get on Facebook, build their networks and tell their (Facebook) friends to check us out. I ask them to go on Facebook every day and share our post.”
When a Facebook user shares a post, that fact shows up on the user’s wall (personal Facebook profile) — and then on friends’ walls as well.
That essentially automatic sharing of useful information is how web-savvy businesses create a positive social media presence.
Ÿ Contact Jim Kendall at JKendall@121Marketing Resources.com.
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