If you doubt that social networking is not good for business, think again. If your lines of communication with your customers are out of date, social networks are the the answer to bringing you current in connecting with your customers. It’s time to bring your business into the 21st century! Online communities offer you a way to connect with your customers in a way that you can’t get anywhere else, for any amount of money, from any other source of advertising or promotion. I can offer you case study after case study of how using social networks has given business owners the advantage over their competitors. First and foremost, giving your readers another arena in which to get to know you is the best way to build a relationship with them.
Social Networks and Social Media Sites
You have most likely heard of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn and believe me, so have your customers! They probably already use them for social interaction with friends and family and for finding others that they want to connect with. When you use social networking for your business, you can offer them the ability to see what you’ve got to offer. You may already be tired of hearing me say this but since I can’t stress it enough, I’ll say it again. People do business with those who they know, like, and trust! Social networking gives you the opportunity to let them get to know you and thereby trust you.
Begin by setting up a business and personal space on the sites listed above. You probably already have a personal space on many social media sites, but business will be something new. Think about how you’ll want to be known. Think branding. Consider using your own name or your company’s name. If you don’t own your own company, use your own name. You may not be working at the company you are with now forever.
Everybody is using Facebook. So many in fact that if Facebooks population was a country, it would be the 4th largest country in the world! YOU need to be using it too, especially for your business. There is power in Facebook’s advertising as well but that’s a topic for another article.
Facebook is a versatile tool for keeping your readers informed about you and your activities. You can use a business page to direct customers to things you’d like them to see or that you think they will find interesting, ask you customers questions and find out what they want, list events you will be attending, podcasts you are hosting, and the names of blogs where you will be guest posting. Readers, that find you here, can your read your suggestions, listen to live podcasts or videos you’ve made available, follow you to the guest blogs, invite you to their events, recommend you to their family and friends, and most importantly interact with you.
If there is a question they want to ask, let’s say about how to buy a home or how to troubleshoot a problem, they can talk with you wall-to-wall in private to get advice. Through Facebook, you can offer free classes, e-courses and other tools to those who opt-in for different services on your website. Also, let your readers be part of virtual focus groups to help you test new ideas.
Before setting up your page, keep in mind that FaceBook, unlike Twitter, allows you only one (1) account. This makes it imperative that it’s set this up correctly the first time.
YouTube
If you have a business, you need YouTube. This is a very powerful way to “show” your products or offer your services to your potential customers and present new information to your current customers. Most people will buy something they have seen over something that they just read about. You have all heard the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” but posting a video on YouTube is much more powerful than that. Readers and others can post their comments on your work. Use it as a forum to demonstrate products or services and also as a format to give your USP (unique selling position) or the advantages of why they should buy from you.
Are you tweeting? A quick search of the Twitter directory will tell you who is tweeting and a search for a specific word or phrase will tell you who is tweeting about what. Using this method, you can quickly attract targeted Twitter followers. Use this information in your tweets to communicate with a targeted audience about new things you already know they are interested in, namely your business, products and services. Your Twitter followers can get up-to-date information about not only the business but also personal info you want to share.
Unlike Facebook, you can create separate business and personal accounts so that you can manage both. If you find readers or customers who have potential as business associates and the like, you can choose to give them access to your personal space as well.
If you are a business owner who needs help, e-Edge Marketing offers two ways to help.
1. Social Networking Workshops will teach you what you need to know in order to utilize social media’s power to increase your sales. Our workshops are for those who want to do it themselves but need direction with best practices for optimizing their social networking efforts.
2. Social Networking Service Packages are for busy business owners that need to get set up and using social media right away but don’t have the time to do it themselves. Several packages are available. We can get your accounts set up and you take it from there or use our full service package and have everything done for you.
Savvy business owners will recognize the power of Social networking, adopt it as the asset that it is, and integrate it into their business plan. If used correctly, there is no more powerful way to attract new customers and retain the ones you already have. Let us show you how.
Call us today for a free consultation. In the Charleston area call 843-647-0489. Outside of Charleston? Call toll free: 866-945-9707.
Happy Networking,
P.S. If you are interested in learning more about developing or improving the online presence of your small business, help is available. We specialize in internet marketing consulting. I can help you with the tools and techniques that will help you attract online customers and keep them coming back. For more information, contact us today.
Social Networks…
You have most likely heard of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn and believe me, so have your customers! They probably already use them for social interaction with friends and family and for finding others that they w…