Building your Digital Storefront: Energizing your social media profile to attract friends and followers that stick

Any small business owner ta kes pride in their establishment. They keep the floors clean, the shelves organized, the table-cloths straight, all in an effort to create an environment where people feel comfortable enough to stay and impressed enough to buy. Yet all to often I see this pride stop short at the door of the digital universe. Neglected Twitters. Barren Facebook pages. Blogs where the last post was written before the term "blog" was even part of the modern cultural lexicon. I ask why? Why would so many businesses take so much pride in their physical location, only to jettison their Twitter account into the furthest reaches of the Twitterverse? With social-media usage exploding (the amount of time on Facebook grew 700% last year), and people increasingly researching even the smallest businesses online before making decisions, just because it's so darn easy, it's downright reckless to shun Web 2.0. My point is simple: Build a digital storefront with the same amount of pride and meticulousness that any physical storefront would require. Creating a digital space that provides the same comfort and enjoyment as any real place will attract an audience beyond loyalists that will actually stick. Just give people a reason to take a look around. The key element of any digital construction is great content fastened, nailed, and welded together by engagement. What is great content? Great content is interesting, engaging material that caters to a diverse audience. Great content begins with care and a belief that how something looks online is just as important as how something looks in a store. In a digital space, great content begins with eye-catching imagery. Give people visual candy early and often. For better or for worse, eyeballs are scanning less text and searching for more visual stimuli, whether it be a photo, graphic, or video. When I'm designing a new website, I expect to have no more than 3-5 seconds to make a lasting first impression. Unless I'm working with a just a few very provocative words, text won't do the job. Using photos Photos are the easiest way to spruce up your digital storefront, whether on your business's website, Twitter, Facebook etc. But photos, like anything, require care so be diligent when selecting what pics to post online. They will reflect your reputation and determine whether someone clicks "Follow" or just moseys on by. For Facebook, discover the amateur photography within you, or hire someone 18-24 (they're guaranteed to be photographers) and snap some flattering shots of your store. Upload these photos to your Facebook page along with a personalized profile picture (if you don't have one already) and suddenly you have content that people will be inclined to flip through. With Twitter, the opportunities are even greater. Because Twitter is the foremost Web 2.0 tool for engaging with your customers real-time, use photos to reflect your experiences with customers and the community each day. Good Dog Bakery in Oklahoma City was a business that caught my eye, particularly because they use photos so well on Twitter (their username is gooddogbakery if you'd like to follow). They are always posting photos of their dogs, their customers dogs and notable events throughout the day. The result? They have one of the most successful small business Twitter accounts Grabbing Green has discovered with 2,400 followers and only 1,300 followed (it's the ratio that counts). More importantly, their photos aren't just about content, they're a way to engage with people. They make their followers and customers feel comfortable, engaged, and interested online, not just in the bakery itself. Using videos Videos are terrific. Just be sure that the videos are interesting. The easiest question to ask yourself before posting something is, "Would someone other than me want to watch this?" I apologize for any unintended sarcasm. I recommend using videos to capture footage of events of your business making a splash somewhere, whether it be from a special sale or a community outreach event. Engage through content If you're taking the time to take photos or film videos anyway, why not utilize that time to engage your customers? Include them in your photos, without weirding them out of course. Use video to demonstrate you commitment to physical interaction with your customers and community. Including evidence of your commitment to engagement will drive traffic to both your physical and digital storefronts. With a solid foundation of content, people will visit to see if they're part of the action and these people will stick around to join the conversation, assuming you're willing to participate.

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