How Social Media can help your business

 

I get lots of questions from different people on “how can all this social media stuff like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, Digg, YouTube, Blogs help me?”  

So lets first define Social Media. Social Media is a form of internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media including writing content that is remarkable, unique, and newsworthy.  Lastly Social Media utilizes social networking and user-generated content platforms to promote a product, service or content. 

Now that being said…necessary tools are bookmarks, blogs, forums, podcasts, networks communities and wikis also important and versatile sites are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Myspace, Digg, Stumbleupon and Squidoo.

The number one point to remember is this..Due to Social media marketing being so easy to implement and it being so affordable, it is of significant importance to small businesses. 

So where do I start? By a long shot, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Twitter leading the pack.  All the other social media tools paled in comparison to these top four. Download Social Media Marketing Industry report.

How do I measure the effectiveness of social media? A significant 81% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses.  Check out Social Media Marketing Report. Improving traffic and growing lists was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships.  A rise in search engine rankings is also an evident increase, as well as a reduction in your overall marketing expenses. Now that is some GOOD news…if your not involved in Social Media Marketing…then it’s TIME!

StartupNation does make a valid point when it says that many small businesses have failed to embrace the opportunities in social media marketing. If that’s you, then it would be to your advantage  to speak with an Internet marketing consultant or do your own research of how social media marketing can help you.

Last year in February, an article came out on “Social Media Will Change Your Business”  It’s a good read with some great links for blog writing.  One of the paragraph talks about “grabbing you by the collar, and shaking you into action” and that was written LAST YEAR!  All in all there is some important information for newbies and veterans alike.  The story of the google employee that got fired is one of them…because it shows how fast social media can work.

Another way Social Media can help your business is the customer relationship.  As a business you would be interested in creating rapport, direct and immediate feedback benefits, and to learn directly from your customers on what has been successful and what areas need focus and enhancement. Sharing content is the real power and the advantage of using social media. Businesses can keep their online community up to date with news, events and what the business has to offer. 

Ezine @rticles has some great thoughts on Blogging, Relationship Marketing, Customer Voice and Social Marketing.  Customer Voice is a huge one this year which is where Twitter or blogs have been the most efficient.  Customers want voice in your business…give you feedback.  

Relationship Marketing is also top in 2009 as a tool by building loyalty.  Part of this is answer with a timely response like in a blog, or Tweet with a Twitter account.  These allow you to create a personality for your business as well as develop an image as a forward-thinking company that is responsive.  Responses include Tweeting back on Twitter, a FaceBook response, sending a personable card, thank-you card and a quick thinking of you card. Click here for a top of the line online card system that is extremely affordable and saves you time and effort.  It is the fastest, most affordable Relationship Marketing tool online with over 13,000 cards available along with gifts and gift cards.  You write it, they print it, stuff it, stamp it and mail it for you.  Can’t beat that deal!

Facebook for Business!..Yes you read that correctly…Facebook for business is very real…read this artlcle:  Facebook’s Latest Design Update Helps Businesses part of it reads “With the latest evolution, Facebook makes its service more valuable to businesses.”   What a Web CEO’s take is on the Facebook Redesign is:  

This means that our brand not only has static presence on Facebook with the ability to receive wall posts and the odd rating, but we have an active and evolving voice that we can use. Just as we do with Twitter, when we have an announcement to make, want to share a new screencast, or ask for fan participation, we can post status, and it will filter it’s way through to those who are interested.

Here’s another good one to check out:  30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook great read from Mashable The Social Media Guide.

What is LinkedIn? and why should I be a part of that?  If you’re running a small Internet business or have a regular brick-and-mortar business, “knowing” the right people and being able to ask and answer questions significant to your business will help you build your network with contacts. Someone you know in your line of business is already on LinkedIn. You just need to set up a profile, start introducing yourself around, join groups and discussions, start discussions with any questions, or answer discussions with your expertise in your area.  What a wonderful way to reach beyond the limits of time and travel to someone else who is like minded and able to discuss important things, answer questions all in a few lines.  

Never heard of a Squidoo lens before?  A Squidoo lens is a free web page that states what you are interested in…it could be as simple as a recipe if your a restaurant, to as complex as how to take the perfect picture.  Along with links to anyplace you want, you can join groups, be a lens master, create as many pages as you want and get the word out!..

StumbleUpon…great name…what does it do?  Here’s how it works.  Install the toolbar, identify some categories you like on the web, then hit the Stumble button. The service takes you to a web page that is popular with people who share your interests. You’ve got the option to give that page a thumbs up, a thumbs down or just leave it by hitting the Stumble button again. Over time the service learns what you like and integrates that into the decisions it makes in sending you someplace new when you hit the button.  If you’re a small business with very good content, submit that content to stumbleupon.  When these people finally shop, they will shop in their local area and most of them will use Google to do it.  You will stand out more…Try it…you’ll be surprised!

Social Media is the solution for your business…have you gotten on board yet?

     

Filed under: Social Media Stuff

Twitter use Exploding!!!

It’s not very surprising that more and more businesses have turned toward Twitter, using it as brand management, public relations and even customer service.  Large giants like AmazonMP3, Walmartdeals, also places like Consumeraffairs are using Twitter to advertise daily deals, and to help keep the public in “the know”.  

In February alone, Twitter drew in almost 10 million visitors worldwide according to ComScore.  Reuters Blog speaks about the 25-54 year old crowd that is actually driving this trend. More specifically, 45-54 year olds are 36 percent more likely than average to visit Twitter, making them the highest indexing age group, followed by 25-34 year olds, who are 30 percent more likely.  It also states that “Twitter has seen its popularity explode in recent months, with the number of unique visitors to its site increasing by more than 1000 percent year-over-year in February, according to comScore.”  

Social media services like Twitter and Facebook are becoming more and more entwined with business.  Businesses can use Twitter as a public relations channel and marketing channels with predictions that by 2011, microblogging will be standard in over 80 percent of social software platforms.  Twitter can also be used as an internal platform, communicating about projects they are working on, ideas that occur and what they might be doing.  ”Inbound Signalling” is also used by firms as a resource showing information about what competitors, customers and others are saying about a company.  Gartner says “Savvy companies use these signals to get early warnings of problems and collect feedback about product issues and new product ideas.”  But also warns of Twitter usage by employees should be covered by existing web participation guidelines.

So what does this do for me? My Company? Technomarketer speaks some great pointers about this…“Micro influencers have the power to reach millions of people around the world. Blogs and other social media outlets are indexed in search results right alongside company websites and portals.  Is this for everybody? No. Companies who don’t listen to people in the first place have no place in social media. You know who they are. Companies that have a phone system that bounces you around 15 times and makes you stay on hold listening to some Michael Bolton song 25 times. They have a suggestion box, but never do anything with the information. They have websites that are confusing and provide so little support that you are forced into a forum to find the answer you seek.”

What is all this stuff, how will it help me?  Inbound Signalling is important for enterprise usage, meaning Twitter conversation threads can lead to information for problem-solving and feedback.  Salesforce.com has announced that it added Twitter to their service cloud that is a software-as-a-service solution.  These Enterprise Applications integrate platforms like InStranet knowledge bases with Google search, Facebook connections amongst other services.  eWeek speaks about why it’s important to integrate these platforms and letting customer service experts communicate with customers and why the service cloud is so untraditional yet provides more intelligent, efficient support system over the Internet.  

How Twitter helps my Company and me…

• Reach millions of people around the world,
• Blogs and other social media outlets are indexed in search results alongside company websites and portals
• Inbound Signalling – Twitter conversation threads can lead to information on problem-solving and feedback.
• Service Clouds - letting customer service experts communicate with customers.
• Enterprise Applications – integrate platforms with Google searches 

As a business…how do you twitter?

 

Filed under: Social Media Stuff , business, Education, facebook, iphone, linkedIn, Marketing, Meetup, Ping, Podcasts, Social Media, twitter, updates, YouTube

Social Media Madness

So with all this Social Media stuff talking about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, YouTube and others?  Is it really that important?  YES..read the following exerpts taken from the UK’s Telegraph headlines under science and technology…

“Social media is very important for jobs within the marketing and communications sector, as a skill set within other jobs, and as an industry within itself.” 

Birmingham City University will be offering Social Media as a one-year course this next year, this course will be considering social networking sites as communications and marketing tools.  Jon Hickman, the course convener states-“It’s very relevant and very scholarly. It’s a new course, but its importance is unquestionable.”

Another educational site about Social Media in Education states:  The Case for Wikis and Social Media in the Classroom.   Reasons are as follows:

• Make learning more interesting and engaging
• Increase productivity
• Ease of communication and collaboration
• Media and technology literacy
• Creativity and self-expression
• Virtual teamwork
• Contextual and big picture thinking
• Introduction to online ethics

Meetup is another amazing social tool.  It is more of an offline tool that has come up quickly in the ranks.  Meetup offers a more personal way of building relationship for businesses in all areas by setting up meetings in local towns & cities.  Meetup can create a networking group where Entrepreneurs, Small Business owners and various Professionals can network, share ideas, learn from each other and get empowered to enrich their relationships with existing clients, colleagues and friends meeting in local restaurants or coffee shops.  This offers the personal touch to networking and marketing, person to person sharing thoughts and ideas pulling together to encourage business needs and growth.

Some more important uses of the web will only continue to develope within the business world.  More reason to get educated and involved with Social Media.  Examples are as follows:

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Banking and financial management
• Business meetings
• Politics
• Goals, scheduling, and planning
• Productivity (Sofware as Service)
• Customer Service Management
• E-commerce
• Marketing

All these have already started using Social Media Marketing in one form or another.  

Fox Business recently posted that there is growing participation from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio companies for Interactive Austin 2009 conference called “How Social Media Can Enhance Enterprise Profitability”.  Austin is recognized nationally as a growing social media center and will be hosting companies from across the state as they gather to share their expertise in using social media for brand management.  

Steve Golab, president and CEO of FG Squared, title sponsor and driver of the event states: “The use of social media in brand management and web marketing can improve profitability for companies as they expand their business presence online.”

Some additional information on podcasts and Social Media:

Awareness Webinar - Corporate Trends in Social Media Marketing

Awareness Webinar - Social Media Marketing: Best Practice Communities.  

Some questions that are answered are:  Are you interested in Social Media Marketing but not sure exactly what you need? Are you searching for a Social media solution that aligns with your business and marketing goals?  During this session you will learn: 

• Eight proven Best Practices for using social media marketing to build a community and create and ongoing, interactive dialog with your audience 

• Why social media marketing programs need to be aligned with your marketing and business objectives. 

How are your Social Media skills? aligned and ready?  Are you well informed?  How is your business doing?

Filed under: Social Media Stuff , Education, Marketing, Meetup, Ping, Podcasts, Social Media, YouTube