One of the most important components for a Thomas Center client is their social media strategy.  Empire Home Remodeling owner Burke Barker has collaborated with our marketing team to launch a Facebook page, create a spot on his website for customer reviews and launch a campaign with Angie’s list.  In a recent feature in the Puget Sound Business Journal, Burke says it’s helped fill the void from jobs lost because of the recession.  (Check out story at http://www.facebook.com/THOMASCENTER)

A recent article in Inc. magazine featured some new tools to help small businesses engage customers online.  The Thomas Center marketing/social media team can help you implement any or all of these depending on the Internet habits of your target audience.  Let’s take a brief look  at Launchrock, Intercom, Punchtab and Olark.

Launchrock

This is a great tool for companies that provide products that are constantly being updated.  The service helps you create a Coming Soon page for your website.

Intercom

If you’re clients and prospects are social media junkies, this tool enables you to not only track visitors and clients who register to your site but also create an online database to tailor pages for return visits based on usage.

Punchtab

Again geared toward social media junkies, you can create a loyalty program to reward daily visitors and those who make daily comments and share content.

Olark

For the sophisticated social media company, you can add a web chat function to your site.

It’s easy to get caught up in the potential “sizzle” of new tools without taking the time to honestly evaluate the online habits of your target audience.  Be sure to measure against strategy, objectives and audience before making a decision to implement social media tools.