Small Business
Marketing: How to
Capitalize on Social
Media for Beginners
With the ever so
popularity of Social
Media, its no wonder why
so many business owners
are stammering to
promote their products
on such sites as
Twitter, Facebook and
Myspace.
Marketing to an audience
of millions is nothing
to sneeze at, and with a
growth of over 1000%
alone for Twitter. Its
best to know how to
capitalize on this ever
growing community.
At the core of any good
marketing strategy is
the art of networking.
Combine a sea of
prospects through social
networks and you can
easily turn those within
your circle into
customers.
Is it hard? Well, not so
much hard as it is time
consuming. Social
networking is not for
the weak in social
skills or those with
very little time on
their hands. If all you
can offer is a few
minutes a week, and
you're looking to really
capitalize, you might
want to reconsider your
social media marketing
dreams. One thing to
remember about social
media is the fact that
its a continuous flow of
information. Members
send and receive
information constantly,
daily and every second
of the day - they can
discuss both the good,
bad and the ugly about
your business.
This is exactly why its
so vital to engage
regularly in
conversations and
include it within your
own marketing strategy.
You'll have the ability
to influence others by
speaking out on your
opinions - a great way
to build a following,
generate new leads and
therefore build more
revenue. The social
networking movement is
proving to be a good way
make more money online.
Over the years marketing
sales strategies were
designed around
customers coming to you.
With social networking
this strategy is
completely in reverse,
it gives you the
opportunity to directly
engage with potential
customers by networking
with them in their own
hangouts. Quite frankly,
there's no better way to
build your business than
through a thriving
online social medium.
Here I'll go over the
many benefits of social
networking:
Generates Brand
Conversation and
Conversations: A
successful social
networking strategy will
often times lead to more
chat about your business
brand, and when your
message starts to
circulate among the
community and its
members, your message
will be spread more
effectively than
tradition mediums.
Good ROI (return on
investment - your time
really): Grabbing a top
position of a social
site as the leader of
your industry can send
you tons traffic almost
instantly. The traffic
may not all turn into
conversions, but it will
generate momentum in
your direction.
Doesn't cost much
(again, just your time):
A well thought out, and
executed strategy, may
help decrease the cost
of your advertising and
marketing expense. Of
course, social
networking is all about
engagement - in other
words - you get back
what you out in. Spend
five minutes a week
online, expect zero
return. Dedicate some
real time on a daily
basis and you'll see the
benefits.
Page Rankings Benefits:
More and more search
engines are indexing
your tweets, posts and
other social networking
updates. These are great
opportunities to create
more links to your site
that will no-doubt
benefit your search
engine rankings.
Getting Recommended: I
can tell you first hand
that becoming a voice in
the social network
communities can, and
will, help you get
recommendations from
others who have (and
those who have not)
worked with you. I
receive inquires all the
time from members who
were referred to me by
another follower. I'm
very active in the
communities, offer my
support and advice and
in return I am
recommended by those who
have gotten to know me
through my daily
participation.
Its not a secret that
social media marketing
can be a bit
un/predictable if you've
jumped in without a plan
of even the knowledge of
how to trek through the
constant movement of
information.
While it can seem
overwhelming at first,
social media, if
properly executed - can
bring in more business
and attention to your
company. You can
eventually start
reducing your
advertising cost, get a
better understanding of
your ideal customers,
increase brand
recognition as well as
sales conversions.
Ready to start running
your own successful
social media marketing
campaign?
My Tips:
-LISTEN and RESPOND to
followers/friends.
-Be personal, NOT
impersonal - Never use
automated responses, its
a quick way to sabotage
all your efforts.
-Be real, and be HONEST.
Aside from automated
responses, telling a lie
here and there about who
you are, who you work
for and stretching the
truth is a surefire way
to damage any potential
relationships now, and
down the line.
-Its about COMMUNITY.
Participate and enjoy
your new found family.
Its no different than
going to an event and
being the one standing
in the corner watching
everyone pass by.
Introduce yourself, say
hello and good morning,
and just be a part of
the community. You'll
gain more friends, and
recommendations this
way.
While the biggest draw
to social media is the
free price tag. It does
require a lot of your
time, and as we all know
- Time is money, and
money is time.
So if you're ready to
jump in. Give social
media a try. Pick
yourself a favorite site
(Twitter,Facebook,etc.),
or niche site (arts and
crafts,etc.) - Then get
yourself joined and get
started. And, If you
happen to find me here
and there, go ahead and
introduce yourself. I'll
be more than happy to
show you around.
Olivia Forbes is a
freelance SEO writer for
Public Relations Depot,
a marketing company
catering to small
business by helping them
increase website traffic
and harness free
publicity. She has
worked in the marketing
industry for over 10
years.http://www.prdepotchicago.com/
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