Lessons in Social Media from Atlanta Businesses
It seems like everyone is interested in social media these days, but how do you use it properly? Every once in a while, a news story pops up about some horrible social media faux-pas committed by a well-intentioned company. We thought we'd present a few of the businesses around intown Atlanta that are doing great things with their social media presence. No big names here...just great locally-owned businesses that are using the power of community on Facebook and other social media platforms to bring in customers and establish themselves.
Exhibit A is Caramba Cafe. Every day it seems like new photos are being added to the Caramba Facebook page, showing their many fans enjoying meals at one of Atlanta's finest Mexican restaurants. People are invited to tag themselves in the photos, so that their friends can see that they eat at Caramba. Additionally, they encourage their customers to check in on Facebook and Foursquare, which also helps to spread the word. They make sure to post in advance about special promotions, events, and coupon specials they're running, so that fans see them in advance and can plan ahead. The most important lesson you can learn from Caramba is that constant, genuine interaction with your customer base can lead to real results. We wish them plenty of luck, but it looks like they don't need it much!
X3 Sports is a gym and martial arts studio located in Inman Park that is doing an incredible job with Facebook promotions. With lots of videos and photos of their trainers and clients (even some famous martial artists!), they make sure that their Facebook content is interesting and constantly up-to-date. They offer "X3 member points" for Facebook check-ins, encouraging their clients to come in more frequently, which works out well for both parties. Finally, they promote both events that they are involved in and those that just might be relevant to their fan base, which encourages other business to co-promote events with X3. With the increasing popularity of martial arts in an MMA-obsessed world, X3 is positioned well to grow in the future.
New on the block is Inman Park's Fruttela Frozen Yogurt. With the city seemingly saturated in froyo shops, it could be hard to differentiate your business from the dozens of others setting up all over town. Fruttela is taking advantage of the agility inherent in its small size to make its Facebook page relevant to customers. For example, with their high level of rotation, they are sure to post when they get new varieties in, which certainly helps to entice consumers eager for a fresh flavor. Additionally, to encourage customers to check in via Foursquare, the "Honorable Fruttie Mayor" receives 10% off their yogurt during their tenure as Mayor of Fruttela. Now that's incentivizing!
Finally, Like the River The Salon is a natural hair salon located in the North Highland Steel Building that is doing an awesome job with their brand on Facebook. They post plenty of pictures and videos of new summer looks, hair trends as worn by their clients, special events, or "just-because" photo shoots so that interested potential customers can get a taste for the talent before scheduling an appointment. They are also very lucky to have a devoted client base that posts regularly on their wall, and the staff at Like the River always responds with thank-yous and answers to questions, taking advantage of the great PR inherent in maintaining an active social media presence. No wonder they've been voted among the best stylists in Atlanta!
These are just a few examples of intown Atlanta businesses that are taking advantage of social media, and of course there are plenty more. Which businesses do you think are doing a great job on Facebook? Leave a comment below!
