This is the 21st century and it is all about being virtual. No matter what type of brand you are—big or small—you have to show your presence online if you want to be in the game. I interact with a lot of entrepreneurs on a day-to-day basis and for some ‘social media’ is the next big thing. Others believe that it is just a poweful fad which wll fade away. Whatever it may be, I feel every business owner should make complete use of it while it is in the spotlight.
Let me put down some of the advantages of social media for you. Firstly, it increases brand recognition and in turn pools in more opportunities for you. The marketing costs are less as compared to traditional media which is a very important benefit as more profits and traffic is generated ith less investment. It provides a richer customer experience as customer interactions happen on a one-to-one basis and you get improved customer insights. The list can go on but I want to talk about how can you use these readily available tools to grow your network and business.
Even I was a complete social media twat some time back. ‘Face-what? Twit-who? You-how?’, these were my reactions; but it’s very simple, just follow the tips given below and you are good to go.
1. WEBSITE: When considering your online marketing strategy, your website MUST come first. Think of it as sort of a “base camp” that you will connect to/from any number of external points. Your website is property owned by you, whereas social media pages are owned by someone else. Look at social media sites as simply a vehicle to get your message out there and drive traffic back to what you have control over. Still, getting “social” is an important component to any marketing plan.
2. FACEBOOK: with an estimated 800 million active users it is ranked as the most used social networking service in the world (by the number of active monthly users). Lucky for you, starting a business page - and tapping into the power of Facebook – is pretty easy. Once your page is created, users ‘like’ it (opt-in to get your posts) and your news will be posted to their ‘wall.’ The Facebook interface makes it easy for your fans to ‘like’ or share your posts and when they do, their friends (the average user has 130 friends) will see this activity, therefore putting your brand in front of an audience you may not normally have access to.
3. TWITTER: A micro-blogging social media site, Twitter has an estimated 300 million users world-wide. I have found that Twitter is an awesome way to connect with people and/or other businesses participating in the same event. Following a hashtag at a concert, live performance or webinar creates a richer experience. As a business owner you can utilize this at events your company participates in – try it! – I’ll bet you’d be blown away by the response.
4. YOUTUBE: YouTube is a video sharing social media site that is owned by Google. There are more than 48 hours of new video uploaded to the site every minute. Isn’t that WOW! As a small business owner, using video in your online marketing strategy – and the back-end key words of your YouTube video - is just as important as your other online strategies.
I use this site to share videos from my events. I also vlog at times about certain things and trust me, it is a great way of increasing brand recognition.
5. GOOGLE+ : Google is a power house. Some of the features of Google+ include: Circles, Hangouts, Messenger, Instant Upload, Hashtags and more. These products are definitely designed with the user in mind. The downside – there is no way to create a vanity url for your brand page.
Even though this is Google’s fourth go at a social media site, you cannot deny the importance of adding your brand to there, if for search engine rankings alone.
6. LINKEDIN: LinkedIn gets 2 new members every second, putting it at 135 million active users in more than 200 countries. Traditionally viewed as the spot to put your resume and search for a job, LinkedIn has grown into a robust networking site. From job listings to interest groups, there are great benefits to keeping your profile up-to-date. I always recommend dedicating an hour or so a week maintaining your LinkedIn profile. Also, be sure add your company listing, and update it as well. Use your LinkedIn company profile page like a resume for your business.
There are more than 100 thriving social media sites online right now and more popping up every single day. It’s enough to make a persons head spin! But I would recommend that you have your business placed at least on the sites mentioned above. Having said that, don’t forget to follow me on the same platform (links provided below)-- networking is the key, remember? Love, BSR.
Website: http://bhupendrasinghrathore.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
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