What Do I Do About My Social Media?

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It's not just about Facebook anymore. Social media now includes ever-growing platforms—Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn—and you can take advantage of them all, easily and at little to no cost. Grant Billings of Billings Piano Gallery moderated this share-all panel discussion at the 2014 NAMM Show with Kurt Witt of Woodwind & Brasswind and Menzie Pittman of Contemporary Music Center. Each panelist offered different perspectives and insights about the role social media plays as part of his overall marketing strategy. The session covered the most-asked questions when it comes to planning and using social media at a music retail business. The following video offers proven ideas and ways social media can boost your bottom line. Highlights from the video: 1. Who's your target audience? Pittman has multiple Facebook pages, including a business page and a personal page that links him to the music community. "There are multiple audiences, and there's also crossover,” he said. “It's one soup.” Billings uses social media to promote such organizations as the local symphony, creating business synergies in his community. 2. What are your biggest challenges? Pittman and Witt cited coming up with effective social media content as their biggest challenge. Pittman stressed making a personal connection with users and having a community of people engaged in your website. When adding content, he advised that fellow retailers “do it with meaning.” "You know your customers and business more than anyone else," Witt added. "They're one of the best resources for good content." He cautioned that sometimes “a video or photo doesn't feel right, and it's not something you want to post at the expense of a laugh." 3. How often should you post on Facebook? According to Witt, data is your best tool in determining how often you should post new content. Such tools as HootSuite can help you plan and schedule posts. Billings shared that he sits down at the beginning of the week to schedule his posts. Pittman mentioned the new clock feature on Facebook that lets you set the date and time for posts to business pages. 5. What kind of Facebook posts get the most response? Pittman said that customer photos and employee pics receive a lot of comments, as they play to a built-in network of friends and family. He added that he makes a point of taking photos or short videos of customers playing instruments they've recently purchased and posting the content to his Facebook business page and website with customers’ permission. "Grumpy cat pictures," Witt said. "Funny and interesting posts that help amplify your brand voice." 6. What social media outlets are the most valuable? According to Pittman, his daughter and her friends introduced him to Twitter. He links it to his Facebook page "It's a telling tool,” Pittman said. “It's like a headline in a newspaper [but live], and the response is immediate and it can just take off." Witt said he uses several outlets, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and, more recently, LinkedIn. He encouraged you to find what makes sense for your business and budget for it. "Our ultimate measurement is customer interaction."