Social Media Tactics

Applying  Social Media Tactics (Social Marketing)

How To Use Social Media to Attract Customers to Your Business

Social media, social networking:  this is something that you hear a lot of buzz about.  People saying “hey social networking is fantastic. You’ve got to do it, you’ve got to do it, it’s great.”  But lots of people don’t understand it.  So, you need to know exactly how to use a social network.  Exactly how it works.  How is it going to help you with your business?

Social media is perhaps the best way ever invented to reach customers.  How would you like for customers to come to you instead of you going to the customers?  How would you like to spend next to nothing (save money) on your marketing?  Social media is your answer.  Need more convincing:  like him or not, the use of social media has been credited for causing Barrack Obama to win the presidential election.

Those same tools and strategies can be put to work for your business to help you connect, engage, and communicate.

Social networking can be called inbound marketing.  Why?  No cold calls, no annoying salespeople, no mass mailings, etc.  Instead, you’re building a relationship with your potential customers.  You’re serving instead of selling.  Service before the sale becomes the norm.  You now have a chance to becomes friends with your customers.  All other things being equal, would you rather buy from a friend or a total stranger?  Now you’re working smarter, not harder.

People buy from other people that they:

1. Know
2. Like
3. Trust

According to 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study

• 93% of Americans believe a company should have a social media presence.
• 85% believe a company should not just be present, but also interact with its consumers via social media.
• 56% of American consumers feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.

There’s no longer a question: Should I embrace social media?  Now it’s a question of planning your social media tactics.

It’s all about sharing what you’re up to, what you’re doing, what you’re selling, what you’re reading, what you’ve found on the Internet, and so on and so forth.  And if you’re doing well and you’re building a good amount of friends in your niche, in your social networks, then it’s going to help you to build your reputation as an authority figure.  So people are going to look at you and say “that person really knows what they’re talking about”.

The ultimate goal of your plan is to establish yourself as an authority figure.  Studies show that, in today’s world, people tend to trust strangers with experience more than anything else when they are wanting to learn about something new or make a purchase.  This is why you will use the social networks, media to establish yourself as an authority figure.  Share your experiences and knowledge related to your business with the people you meet online (and offline too).  You will become an influencer (this too is part of your goal).

Use Social Networking Websites; Promote Your Business

The goal of business owners is to make money.  But, customers cannot buy a product or a service if they do not know that it exists.  Obviously, as a business owner, you need to advertise or promote your business.  The word promote is the key here.

The words advertising and promotion make many business owners literally cringe.  Are you doing this now?  There is a good chance that you are because many advertising methods cost money.  But, not all forms of advertising cost money.  There are ways to promote your business and the products or services that you sell without having to spend any money at all.

One way you can promote your business online, without spending a dime, is by using something that is readily available online:  social networking.

The words social networking cause many people to think of online friendships or online relationships.  These types of relationships are common, but did you know that social networking is also used for businesses?  In fact, that was originally how social networking got started.  For instance, Facebook encourages advertising.

There are networking sites that are designed for business owners.  These websites will not only allow you to share your business information with other business owners, but it will also allow you to develop close relationships with those that share an interest that is similar to yours.  Essentially, this means that you could not only learn valuable business information, but you could also walk away with a new business partner or a new friend.

Social networking websites with a focus on businesses, are a great way to promote your business.  However, this does not mean that you should completely forget about the other online social networking websites, the ones that are designed to make online friendships.

Join a traditional social networking website to gain access to millions of potential new customers, then create your profile.  Be aware:  one thing Internet users hate is being solicited for business.  But, this does not mean that you cannot use social networking to your advantage; it just means that you need to be careful with how you do it.  Create that Twitter and Facebook page for your business and include information on your business.  Start making friends and creating relationships, and people will naturally look at your business information to learn more about you.

Social networking is like a party.  You don’t go into a party and immediately start telling everyone why they should buy your products or services.  You make friends and relationships first.  People will naturally ask what you do for a living during the course of conversation.  Later, people will remember that you were an interesting person to talk to and they will think of you when they need your services.

By joining a social networking website, especially one that is popular and has a large number of members, you should be able to generate interest in your business, including the products or services that you sell.  Who knows, that interest generated could turn into sales; thus making your social networking experience more than worth it.

See Also:

• How Does Twitter Work?
• How Does Facebook Work?

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