Beginning Social Media for Small Business
As a small business owner, you wear many hats and because of this, it can be challenging to find the time to promote your business in a cost-effective manner. Web-based social networking tools may be a solution for you to explore in an effort to reach your target customer. We’re going to briefly introduce you to two social media tools that you’re probably aware of already. In subsequent articles, we’ll take a deeper dive into each.
Facebook and Twitter, are web-based technologies that can empower you to extend your marketing strategy and connect with your customers in this new people-driven economy. These tools allow the voice of the individual to rise about the noise of the crowd. Facebook boasts over 350 million active users with 65 million of those folks providing updates via a mobile device. Twitter, a 140-character microblogging site, has over 30 million users sending more than 600 updates (or “tweets”) per second.
In all likelihood, your customers are already on Facebook and Twitter. It’s time for you to join this strategic marketing revolution! By participating in this environment, you and your business can build credibility and strengthen relationships with your customers.
Facebook offers the opportunity to create pages to represent your small business. Facebook pages are great for your marketing strategy because they’re indexed by Google and available to both Facebook and non-Facebook subscribers. Facebook offers an easy to follow process to create a page for your business. Whenever someone becomes of “fan” of your business, your company name shows up in their timeline and profile.
Creating your Twitter profile involves a simple sign-up and verification of your email address. The best way to create a Facebook page for your business is to have a personal Facebook profile. Don’t worry, the folks at Facebook will keep the data separate for you. Your personal profile information won’t be visible to your customers and vice-versa. Facebook makes it easy to link your company’s Twitter account to Facebook and to choose what gets published to Twitter. This allows you to seamlessly integrate your social marketing strategy.
Next step is to let your customers know where they can interact with you. Twitter offers a “goodies” section where you can choose a web badge for your site to promote your Twitter account. Similarly on Facebook you’ll find the “Get Your Badge” widget on the “Edit Page” section.
Monitor and respond to what people are saying about your business and your products. When you respond, do so tastefully and professionally. Engage your customers by answering questions and handling their publicly displayed complaints. Encourage participation and reward frequent contributors. By using social networking tools to share information your customers want, they will be more likely to share with their friends. This viral marketing effect has the potential to promote your business in a positive light.
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