Don’t Promote on Social Media Unless You Know These 5 Common Mistakes
Social media has become an important aspect of online business marketing, but there is still a lot of confusion regarding how to get the right kind of attention using social media channels.
In order to create the right kind of social media personality for your company, and build credibility as you do it, avoid the following missteps:
1. Crossing the Line from Professional to Personal
You indeed want to represent your company as personable and approachable in order to reach your customers. However, often that line from professional to personal is crossed, and information that is way too personal is shared. For example, it is completely appropriate to tweet, “Sorry for my slow response; I just got back from vacation.” However, you cross the line when you tweet, “I couldn’t get back to you last week because I was partying it up in Cancun!”
2. Over the Top Self-Promotion
Your customers expect a certain degree of self-promotion. However, if your posts never vary from the self-promotional variety, your followers will get tired of them.
Discern what kind of content your followers are most interested in—what drew them to you in the first place? Then, be sure to post useful links and information that will keep them coming back; when you do post promotional information, your customers will be more likely to respond.
3. Not Interacting With Your Followers
If you don’t reply when fans post comments on your Facebook page, if you don’t ask questions and respond when they answer, then you are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity. Think of your social media sites as additional opportunities for customer service, and be sure that you are engaging your followers with questions and discussions.
4. Responding Only to Positive Comments
When you get negative comments via social media channels, it is perhaps even more important to respond to them than to the positive comments. Ignoring the negative comment is like telling the customer that you do not care. As mentioned above, responding to tweets or posts is an opportunity for great customer service.
5. Jumping in Without a Plan
Mistakes made on the internet are likely out there forever. Often, companies wanting to get on board with social media make the decision to do so, then just jump in tweeting and posting without any kind of marketing plan. Considering the permanent nature of online marketing, having a well thought-out plan is the best way to make the most out of social media.
Conclusion
A good social media campaign can contribute greatly to the success of your business. Keep these guidelines in mind as you create social media accounts that positively represent your company.
About the Author: Kaushal Gandhi is Director at Aaris Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Aaris is SEO company in India. Kaushal has conceptualized SEO Traingulation Method to get desired ranking. In addition, he is also a passionate blogger and writes on diverse topics such as Search Engine Optimization, PPC Management and Social Media.
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Is Google+ a Facebook Killer?
Google+ are currently asking business to withhold from signing up to the new service until it is fully rolled out with all the bugs beta’d out of the application. Which makes sense as over the past five years social media has taken off as the key means to develop relationships with users, clients and business partners, it’s far easier to follow some-one or invite them as a friend than it is to develop a relationship over the phone or via email.
Google Dominance
A quick search of search engine market share reveals that Google commands 83.62% of the global use of internet search facilities, next most popular is Yahoo, Microsoft’s Bing comes in fourth with 3.5% of internet users choosing it above all the others.
While Google offers free search which can be tweaked to suit your preferences, free email which doesn’t have adverts in the body and is easy to navigate without doing unexpected actions if you click too many boxes when you finally get around to cleaning out your inbox (Yes Hotmail, I’m looking at you!) with the introduction of Google+ they’ve essentially guaranteed their ownership of the web (top layer at least, the invisible web is another story).
Many Issues with Facebook
Social media is a fundamental part of many people’s lives now but many people have a trust issue with Facebook, when it started it seemed that it was only going to let you network with people you really did know in the Real World but as the opportunities for business and marketing were realised each user became a potential target for marketing so change after change was introduced. Now many users find that things happen to their account and they have to opt out rather than opt in. They don’t always appreciate that kind of meddling.
But Facebook is a free service and they have to make their money somewhere so we can’t complain… But now we have a serious option. MySpace was once Facebook’s only relevant competition yet it’s been sold for a fraction of its purchase price from a few years ago and last week saw a search for MySpace directing immediately back to Google’s home page. Today things seem back to normal but you can probably remember the media frenzy when Facebook dropped out for a few hours some time ago. When it happens to MySpace: not a peep.
What Does This Mean for You?
But what does all that mean to consumers and users?Essentially, once business is able to register on Google+ Facebook could go the same way as MySpace. I’m already going through the long and drawn out process of migrating my data from Facebook to Google+, I like Chrome as a browser, I have been a big fan of Gmail since I started beta-ing that too so why wouldn’t I? And many other people will too, even if they don’t delete their accounts they will surely migrate away from Facebook and set up a new account, link it in with their RSS reader, calendar, email and docs and find that they have very little reason to look at Facebook, in much the same way that people don’t tend to look at MySpace any longer. Google will have achieved its master plan and taken over complete control of the internet.
Again, like Facebook, Google is a free application and if you don’t like it you can always use the other products which are available but if you’re in business and you’re involved in digital marketing or an active social media aficionado then getting a presence within Google itself, via Google+ is going to be far more important to SERPs than trying every-one to ‘like’ you on Facebook.
About the Author: @DanCash is a feature writer and SEO copywriter focusing on social media training. Follow me on Twitter for my views on the impending battle to the death of one or other social platforms.
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Get Noticed through Social Media Marketers
There is no denying the power of social media in today’s society. Look at any product and you will see the logos for Twitter and Facebook. Watch people waiting for the elevator and see how they spend their time checking and updating their Facebook or Twitter accounts. It is important for any business looking to gain the attention that they need to succeed in the modern marketplace to understand the importance of social media. Of course, just understanding its importance will not get your business noticed, you need a professional with the ability to navigate you through the social media maze. Read more
How Social Media Savvy is Your Small Business?
Social media gives small businesses the opportunity to socially interact with the public to promote products and services, and communicate with customers. With social media, small business owners can build a strong online presence without incurring the high costs associated with building websites and launching private online communities. Social media may seem simple, but most businesses have not maximized its full potential. Read more
Promoting Your Business through Smartphones and Social Media
Look at any advertisement for a successful company and you will see the familiar social media site icons posted on the bottom of the advertisement. The point of the advertisement is to direct customers and potential customers to their social media sites. The reason for this is Read more
How Social Media Helps Businesses Increase Profits and Reduce Debt
If you have a small business and want to promote it on a wide scale, social media can be the best way to do it. It may happen that you may incur debt and need to get help from bill consolidation options, but you can increase your profit in spite of debt.
This is possible if you promote your business using social media. Social media can be a huge platform to boost your business and can also help you increase the profit of your business. There is a direct relationship between the good performance of a business and the social media.
Support Given by Social Media to Small Businesses
You may have difficulties starting up a business but due to your determination and perseverance, you succeed in it. You may face many hardships on the way such as falling in debt but you can take help of bill consolidation options to get out of debt. Social media can be another way to increase your profit even when you’re in debt. Take a look at how social media supports small businesses:
Creating Communities for People
Social media help you create community and also join certain communities. If you’re able to build the trust of your consumers, it’ll make you feel powerful. If the consumers start trusting you, you can rest assured that they’ll help you build the profit out of your business. It’s not about other companies, it’s about people. These people can make or break you. So, if you take help of social media, this thing can happen and you’ll be able to market your products and people can like them and increase your popularity. This is called collaboration and it gives way to increased marketing. When you build a community of faithful consumers, they may inform others about you and this way your business gets promoted and expands. Another tip that can help you build this collaboration is that you can connect with this people as an individual and not as a company. People get more attached to colleagues than companies.
Building Relationships
After you collaborate with your trusted consumers, you can build a relationship by communicating about your business. Don’t try to force them into liking your business but you can give them ideas about what you do based on their likes and then you can build that relationship. You can start a blog of your own and ask your consumers to post their comments. There are innumerable social networking sites that can help you communicate about your work and strategies. You can also share photos and videos with your faithful consumers and they can in return post their comments. Write good content so that your customers can easily visit your blog and get the idea about your business. You can also share your shortcomings and how you were able to overcome them. This can become an inspiration for other people. This will help you have a direct conversation with your consumers and will also help you get their opinion on how to increase the profits in your business.
Entertaining People
Always remember that people haunt those places where they can have fun. Certain social media sites are fun places to chat and also make friends. You can target that area and also post fun videos to promote your business. There are many big companies who used fun videos to promote their business and people really liked tem. So, if you can entertain people with your promotional strategies, you can always expand your business and increase your consumers.
There is an option in the social sites that you can open up a business account and then you can promote it. You can also learn about using social media to promote your business when you search for the same on the Internet. The profits you incur can go into bill consolidation procedure to get you out of debt.
Contributed by: Debt Community Member
Photo Credit: Webtreats
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Targeting Your Social Media Efforts
Whether you like it or not social media has become a piece of the marketing puzzle and can be a great way to reach your target audience on a more personable level. But before you start making Facebook fan pages and YouTube channels, you should do some research on who and what people are looking for when they go to these sites.
A Look at The Numbers
A study done by Chitika, a full service online advertising network, has broken down the users of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Digg. They found that an overwhelming 47% of Twitter users go there to find news, while 51% of MySpace users are there for either video games or celebrity/entertainment purposes. Twenty-eight percent of Facebook users go there for the news, while Digg seemed to be distributed evenly between news, tech, and video games.
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These types of numbers are important to know where to target your social media efforts. Having a game plan is half the battle—for both offline and online marketing. It seems that many marketers are starting to realize that social media is important, they just don’t exactly know what to do with it yet.
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Another study conducted by Econsultancy and Bigmouthmedia concluded that 86% of the companies they surveyed said they wanted to allocate more money to social media, but not sure what to do with their findings once on these sites. Knowing why people are going to these networks can help with this.
Find Your Target
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Once you target your efforts and know exactly why your customers are going to these sites, the easier it will be to give the information they want. Since 47% of Twitter users are there for news, have your Twitter updates be more information based. Your tweets may not have to be all informational, but give the people what they want.
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If you apply your knowledge of traditional marketing strategies to social media you can be very successful. You wouldn’t run an advertisement for makeup on a channel predominantly watched by males—so why would you create a YouTube Channel if no one is interested there?
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Research is half the battle in marketing, the same goes for social media. It can be very beneficial for companies when used right, it just takes some planning and research first. Tackle it like you would other traditional marketing tactics and you should see some success.
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About the Author: Shannon Suetos is an expert writer on phone systems based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as VoIP Service at Resource Nation.
Photo Credit: Bogdan Suditu
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Why do Small Businesses #Fail at Using Social Media?
When you were a kid, do you recall standing on a dock overlooking a lake and wanting to dive in but you were afraid to, for fear the water would be too cold? You were faced with a dilemma: jump in, absorb the shock, and get used to it, or slip into the drink slowly one body part at a time. The experience for small businesses eager to get a handle on using social software is similar.
And it’s a sink or swim scenario. Diving headlong into using social tools and networks has its benefits and risks but preparation is essential. In a nutshell, social media involves engaging people via online social networks to generate exposure, improve customer satisfaction, and grow sales.
Managing Resources
Rob Enderle, principal analyst, The Enderle Group, says like anything else when one is starting from scratch, the problem initially is making good decisions with regard to resources.
“However you can, use social networking to find others like yourself that have already gone through the process in your industry and you can see what they have done and the success they have achieved,” he said. “From that you can determine what will work for you . . . social networking requires some study and work to both determine what works best for your industry and what works best for you.”
To that end, Enderle recommends reading “Engage: the Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success on the New Web” by Brian Solis. The book is focused on social networking and it is a great starting point, he added.
Which Network is Right for You?
Michelle Warren, principal, MW Consulting & Research, advised carefully choosing which social networks to utilize. Because many social media tools are ‘free’ there is a misconception that a strategy isn’t required; that the value is guaranteed because the cost is minimal and that’s untrue.
“A plan is important. Think of it as a map — if you are unsure about your destination, how will you get there?” she asked. “Partnerpedia.com is worth checking out for a B2B network. Otherwise, Twitter and LinkedIn are worth investigating. And since these can be linked together, they are worth considering.”
Use it or Lose It
Warren stressed getting involved though. Small businesses have much to gain from using social tools in a concentrated fashion.
“Using some social media tools for marketing and business opportunities is wise, but have a grasp of what to expect and know how to measure the results,” she advised. “Like any initiative, it takes some planning in order to achieve desired goals.”
Ultimately, strategy requires goals. Without a goal, your business is rudderless and diving into social media might do more damage to your brand and image than good.
“The first step is to learn a bit about social media. The second is to set a strategy. Then you can best determine the tools and resources you need to achieve that strategy,” Enderle said.
About the Author:Liam has been a journalist for more than 12 years. His media career began in the late 1990s as a beat reporter for the North Shore News in Vancouver. Since then, he’s written for ComputerWorld Canada, Computing Canada, eChannelLine.com, ConnectITnews.com, Computer Dealer News, and several others. A man of many interests, Liam is easily wowed by new technologies, retro video games, and the multiple positions his cat can fall asleep in.
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8 Business Lessons Learned from Using Twitter in 2009
The debate will continue in 2010 about the value of using Twitter for your business, and if you jumped on the Twitter wagon in 2009 I’m sure you have your own conclusions as to its effectiveness.
I found myself asking how valuable Twitter was as a business tool, and what I found is the main things I learned from using Twitter in 2009 were business lessons brought to light from the Twitter medium.
So if nothing else the value of Twitter for business, at least for me, was the learning that took place through the application about business in general not just business on Twitter. Here’s my top 8.
1. Communicating beats selling
On Twitter as in life communicating gets you farther than selling. Those constantly pumping their products on Twitter – we ignore. Those constantly pumping their services at the mall – we ignore. Talk to me, provide some value in the conversation – okay, now you’ve got my attention.
2. 10 is better than 10,000
Ever notice there is a core group of your followers on Twitter who really dig what you’re doing? They’re always there, retweeting your stuff, talking up your service, and gushing about your products. That’s what you’re looking for, on and off Twitter. Those people make your business better. I’ll take the 10 people obsessed (we’re talking tattoos of my logo on their chest obsessed) about what I do, than 10,000 casual “fans” any day.
3. Relationships take time
No brainer, but often neglected. Want to get the most of out your business? Just like on Twitter, relationships take time…but
4. They are worth it
If you’re creating those obsessed fans we talked about above, the weeks, months, and years you take to create the relationship will pay you back 10 fold.
5. No magic bullet
If you jumped on Twitter thinking it was going to solve all your sales problems you’re probably disappointed today. There really is no magic bullet, nothing is going to turn your business around overnight or take it to the next level other than hard work.
6. Marketing is the sum of its parts
Much like the “magic bullet”, no one piece of marketing or advertising is going to be “the one”. Some of your campaigns may work better than others, but your marketing is the sum of all its parts. This includes your advertisements, your service, and your relationship with your customers.
7. Unfollowing – not just for Twitter
Customers are unfollowing you all the time if you don’t meet their needs. On Twitter we can see this because our follower count goes down, in the real world it’s less visible. What are you doing to make sure you’re not being unfollowed?
8. First it’s about you, then it’s about them
Why someone followed you on Twitter is probably about you, why they continue to follow comes down to them.
As a small business owner you make or break your business. We’ve talked about how most people are buying you, not necessarily your product or service. At first you attract the customers…but then the dynamic shifts… your business becomes about them. Your success or failure lies in their hands.
Your Turn
What say you? Any Twitter reflections from your experience? Put’em in the comments below…
Photo Credit: magerleagues
Seven Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Social Media Expert
“Where facts are few, experts are many.”
This quote couldn’t be more true than with social media experts today, it seems everybody is one – just ask them.
Well, in today’s guest post by Ola Ayeni, Chief Idea Officer at Mobile Dialog, reminds us that before we are quick to hire an expert in social media, we should be asking a few important questions.
Seven Questions To Consider Before Hiring A Social Media Expert
I recently received an e-mail from a fellow entrepreneur, the CEO of Fanminder, Paul Rosenfeld about a recent Wall Street Journal article titled “ Firms Get a Hand With Twitter, Facebook, Entrepreneurs Hire Consultants to Promote Business on Social-Media Sites, but the Extra Cost Is Big Question”.
After reading the article which was written by Sarah Needleman, I decided to also read the comments section. The comment section is filled with people who are doing social media consulting for others and individuals who feel that entrepreneurs and business owners should approach social media as a DIY.
Two Sides to Every Story
I believe there are to sides to the story for this to make sense. Both are entirely correct. First, no one knows your business more than you do. So when it comes to connecting and engaging customers. The owner or manager you come out on top not a consultant. But what do you do when you do not know what to write, post or tweet. That is why you need some help. Either through an experienced coach, training of some sort or hire someone to get you up and running and then take it from there.
On the other hand if time ( which is something we all don’t have ) to commit to social media marketing is what you don’t have, then you need to hire someone to help you with it. The biggest cost of doing social media is time needed to get things going. In order words time you have to spend to tweet, post, engage and talk with people. That time can be better spent managing your business.
In the same article, many things were said about whether it makes sense for small businesses to hire a consultant/agency to help with starting a social media marketing campaign.
It All Depends on Two Things
1. Do you have the time to do it yourself ? If the answer is no. Then you can consider using a marketing company to help you. The help can either be to train you on how to do it or be an extension of your in-house employee/service.
2. Do you have employees who can do social media for you? If yes, you don’t need to hire anyone to help you do anything. May only need to ask for helping you with training. and showing how to do it. Ask for a customized workbook to follow.
You see the biggest expense in social media marketing apart from the know how is the time needed to do it right.
Where to Start?
I work for a restaurant marketing company that provides social media and mobile marketing services to restaurants, franchise businesses and small businesses. The number one question we get from operators is what do I even write and how do I start it without making people upset . The second question is we know many of our traditional media is no longer working right or delivering results.
What should we expect in terms of results (ROI or foot traffic ) with this social media program . Thirdly what is the cost? This is the most important question.
Many have unlimited questions and are afraid to loose money to many so called social media marketing experts out there. Everyone, agency, and my cousin is now a social media guru because they read mashable.com, follow Chris Brogan and read a recent social media book by Tim Oreilly.
So as a small business owner, you need some real world common sense approach to this .
Ask These Simple Questions of the so Called Consultant
1. What is your track record in doing this social media and how long have you been doing it
2. What should success or result look to you?
3. What have you done in the past that I can see? Verifiable clients. Not just on the brochure.
4. Do you have references I can check?
5. How much and for how long are we going to use your service? Is there any retainer?
6. What guarantees should you give me? Some people will take your money and run…
7. If you are going to hire an expert…Ask others who they are presently using and why?
My two cents..
Disclaimer, our company mobile dialog does social media marketing for several clients as well. But with an integrated approach. I am not by any means opposed to companies who are now experts in social media overnight. All I am saying there should be a measuring stick to determine those who are genuinely out to help entrepreneurs or just helping their pocket only.
About:
Dr Ola Ayeni is the Chief Idea Officer of Mobile Dialog, a new media marketing and consulting company in, Naperville , Illinois that helps restaurants and small businesses increase revenue and engage their customers using mobile and social media tools.
He can be reached at email: Corporate@m-dialog.com, phone: 1-888-424 9666, Website: http://www.m-dialog.com, on twitter @olaayeni.
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10 Things Mom Never Told You About Social Media for Business
During your formative years you no doubt had important talks with your mother, where she instilled in you the values you carry with you today.
You know, important stuff like the birds and the bees, and how to use social media for your business.
Well she was probably right on when it comes to the birds and the bees, but she left a few things out when she went over social media with you.
Let’s clear that up.
10 Things Mom Never Told You About Social Media for Business.
Don’t Be Upset
There you have it. Unfortunately mom held back some info – but don’t be upset with her, I’m sure she wanted to tell you but just couldn’t find the right words, or felt awkward about the conversation. Maybe she didn’t think you were ready for it, and was just trying to protect “her baby”. Try to understand.
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Marketing to the Social Web and the New Rules of Engagement
With all the talk around here lately about social media’s place in business, customer interactions, service recovery, and marketing strategies for growth, I’ve been thinking more about how the world of marketing and doing business has changed with the digital/social *revolution*.
And more specifically has my business embraced the change?
Marketing to the Social Web
I ran across a presentation given by Larry Weber, Chairman of W2 Group, titled “Marketing to the Social Web – How Digital Customer Communities Build your Business”, which helped put together some thoughts for me regarding the changing landscape in which we do business
While the entire presentation was informational, one concept summed up the business world we are currently living in, and how it’s changed in a relatively short amount of time.
Don’t get me wrong, fundamentally business has not changed. We still need to find stuff people want/need and provide it to them, but the way we go about doing that is very different than years past.
The New Rules of Engagement
The presentation points out the differences between “Old Marketing” and “New Marketing”, which could just as easily summarize the difference between “Old Business” and “New Business”
Old Marketing:
- One-way communication
- Brand recall is Holy Grail
- Group customers by demographics
- Content controlled by marketers
- Virality driven by flash
- Michelin Guide – expert reviews
- Publishers control channels
- Top down strategy
- Information hierarchy
- Emphasis on cost – CPM
New Marketing:
- Brand is dialogue
- Customers determine brand value
- Group customers by behavior
- User generated content
- Virality based on content
- User reviews (Amazon, etc)
- Publishers build relationships
- Bottom up strategy
- Information on demand
- Invest for growth – measurable ROI
I think this is a nice illustration that approaching business and marketing the same way we did 20, 10 or even 5 years ago will be less than effecitve.
The Importance of Community Building
Customers will shape our businesses, we won’t shape our customers. Customizing experiences, building community, and relequinshing control of our brands to the consumer will be the driving force for growth.
Larry’s presenation also details the 7 Steps You Can Take to Build Digital Communities.
The communities we build will be very important to our businesses, and that portion of Larry’s presentation is certainly worth checking out.
Your Turn
What do you think about all of this? Do you agree that the rules of engagement have changed?
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Seth Godin On Social Networking For Business – Is It Useless?
Is social networking valuable for business? Seth Godin, widely considered an expert in all things marketing, says it may well be useless.
Seth’s Take on Social Networking
Networking for networking sake is worthless, according to Seth who answered the question in a recent Open Forum Q&A.
Having hundreds of Facebook friends, or thousands of followers on Twitter may not be as valuable as having a handful of deep relationships you can count on, people who will be there when you make the big ask.
Seth points out that networking is always important when it’s real, and a useless distraction when it’s fake. The internet has allowed an enormous amount of fake networking to take place.
We are becoming too focused on breadth and not depth of relationships. We count who likes us today, and who doesn’t, and are consumed with the metrics (friends, followers, connections) and not the true nature of those connections.
What Matters are Where the Real Relationships Are
Seth says we should be asking ourselves “Are their people out there I’d go out of my way for, and would they go out of their way for me?” That’s what you should be tracking.
And how do you get there? By going out of your way for them, and earning the privilege of one day having that connection be worthwhile.
Running Time: 2min
Your Turn
I’d like to hear what you think of social networking for business? Agree or disagree with Seth in the comments below.
photo credit: bpedro
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Technology, New Media, and Your Business
I’m happy to have Robert Tuchman, author of Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own
The 1990s are over. No longer do we exchange 800 numbers—now, only URLs. URLs are the 800 numbers of the 1900s. You have got to work through the Internet—there is no way to step on it or go around it.
You Need a Web Presence
The first step is to build a website for your company. Your website must display the concept of who you are to the external world—and it has to compel them to come inside.
When building a website, take advantage of those looking for jobs in our poor economy: hire a young, driven web designer who is looking for a shot at success. All you need is a clear sense of the image and feel you want your site to convey to said designer. Once the site is established, keep it updated and always look to improve it.
A well done website can make your five-cent lemonade stand look like Country Time. Emphasize the fact that you can offer better services than some of your competitors (who are probably extremely large, impersonal corporations).
Web Communication Strategy
Building a website is an absolute must—as you cannot be taken seriously without it—but it should not suck up all the energy and resources that you have. Today’s amazing capacity for communication makes extraordinary new things possible for you and your business.
If you concept is solid, your timing is right, and your commitment to your core idea is unshakeable, you can make big things happen with your website, and make them happen quickly. But as with any other communications medium available to your business—free or paid—the message has to be crafted carefully, the resources invested wisely, and the potential and actual payoff evaluated closely.
Focused Communication with Customers
Your customers are, right now, communicating and connecting in ways that you could not possibly have imagined a few years ago. If you want to sell to them, find out what they are doing.
Make connections with your prospects and customers, both in person and online! Find out what they are doing in the virtual world—tap into their world of Blackberries, iPods, and any other realms that seem appropriate. Listen and learn all that you can about what is going on. By doing this you can identify powerful new ways to launch and promote your business and to target its message.
Don’t Forget Social Media
Check out Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Linked In and other virtual networking sites. Make a profile!
Be conscientious with the information you display and the person you portray. Making an appealing profile on a popular a site as Facebook and Twitter can facilitate thousands of connections, and thus potential business opportunities.
Do this after your company website is complete (–now you can set up a system of link-backs!).
The Power of SEO
Once your website is established, and the concept solidified, you must make sure that your site is ranked at the top of the search engines of Google and Yahoo.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not an exact science—but there are already thousands of companies that are willing to bring you to the top of Google and Yahoo.
Make sure your website contains SEO-friendly text and link it with buying strategies that will help your site’s ranking.
Leveraging New Media
New ideas you come up with involving new media may not require much capital. For example, writing a weekly article for an e-newsletter costs nothing—and is extraordinarily beneficial when distributed to those in your potential customer base.
In addition to working up the appeal of your own corporation, you can also gain inside information on your competitors with the Internet—start with your competitors’ own websites.
Then, check out their Facebook and Twitter pages—see what they are offering to their potential clients. This will give you an upper hand when negotiating with someone choosing between your corporation and another.
Understand Generational Differences
Finally, know that your future customer base will include a younger generation who finds it in their second nature to use the Internet and e-mail.
It is essential that you understand that their first instinct is to email, rather than meet in person or talk on the phone. Make an effort to reach them via the medium they are most comfortable with—as they are, in fact, your future customers.
In Closing
The Internet is so sufficiently advanced that it seems to be nearly indistinguishable from magic. But do not be weary. The transport of word, of mail, of human voice, and of shining image—in this century, as in last, our greatest accomplishments still have the sole aim of bringing people together in community. The Internet is the means to bring people, communities, and corporations together now.
Robert Tuchman is the founder and president of Manhattan-based TSE Sports & Entertainment . He has been quoted as a leading authority in sports business by publications including USA Today, The New York Times and BusinessWeek.
Robert also is the author of Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own
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10 Reasons Why Your Business Should be Using Twitter
With Dell’s recent announcement of making $3,000,000 using Twitter your business should be considering it as a viable sales option.
However, if that kind of money isn’t enough to convince you to start using the micro blogging service for your business, here’s 10 more reasons to get on board.
#1 Gain Exposure
Twitter is a great way to gain exposure for your business, product, or service.
You’ll be interacting with thousands of people who have yet to discover you, and what you do.
Imagine being able to tell 1000, 5000, 20000 people or more what you do, and all at one time…with Twitter you can.
#2 Build Trust
The more people interact with you, see what your character is made of, the more they will trust you.
Getting to know the human side of your business is a great way to build trust in yourself, your brand, and your business.
#3 Generate Leads
There are literally millions of people using Twitter day in and day out…some of them are bound to be interested in what you do.
Twitter offers an opportunity to expose them to your business, and generate interest in what it is you sell.
#4 Drive Traffic
As you build trust and community, you can occasionally send your followers links back to your site, promotion, or offer.
If done correctly, Twitter can drive hundreds of hits a day to your website. Now that’s a good thing!
#5 Provide Stellar Customer Service
Some of the biggest brands in the world have figured out a very powerful aspect of Twitter, and that is in providing stellar customer service through the medium.
Since you have access to real time communications you can do immediate service recovery, and turn someone’s frown upside down.
#6 Expand Your Network
You’ll be interacting with a diverse group of people on Twitter, more diverse than you could possibly hope to interact with in the offline world. This is an advantage to growing your network, and getting many different perspectives.
#7 Get Feedback
Twitter is a real time conversation and as such it provides a real time mechanism for getting feedback. Bouncing questions off your followers asking for their ideas and suggestions is a gold mine worth tapping into.
#8 Market Research
Using the search functions within Twitter there is an unprecedented opportunity to do market research as it’s unfolding.
You’ll be able to key in on what people are looking for, what they think of certain products and services, and what they would consider buying.
#9 Testimonial Tool
Twitter is a great way to get testimonials about what it is you do.
The viral nature of Twitter makes the best of these testimonials spread like wild fire, and reinforce the idea that you don’t suck – instant social proof!
#10 Build Authority
As you become a trusted friend to your community you will undoubtedly build authority.
The benefits to being the authority on a subject are vast, not the least of which higher conversions, more pricing power, and higher customer satisfaction
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