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Social Marketing / Social Networking
I am sure you have heard a lot of
talk about social networking / social marketing on sites such as
Facebook and Twitter. You might be wondering: "is this right for
my business?" The answer is... maybe. It will depend on what your
business offers, who your target market is, and if your industry allows for sharing
information on a regular basis.
First off - what is social networking? Social networking or
marketing is basically getting people together, online, who have
a common interest. This could be for personal use such as
families or people you went to school with, or it could be for
business, such as fans of a restaurant or retail shop.
Several of you may already be on Facebook to connect with family
members and old friends. But you may not have taken advantage of
this new marketing media for your business. Let's look at why
you might want to consider adding social networking sites to
your marketing plan.
1) Search engines, such as Google, index Facebook and Twitter
pages. This gives you another opportunity to be included in the
search engine index. This always provides a way to promote your
site for more search terms. Your posts can also improve
your link popularity, if you include links to your site.
2) People are not only using Facebook to search for old friends,
but they are also using it to search for products and services.
By having a page on Facebook, you increase the chances of people
finding you.
3) Once you have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, you can
encourage people to become fans or to follow you. Then, whenever you post something on Facebook or Twitter, it is sent
or "pushed" to your fans and followers. This saves them from
having to go looking for information... instead, it just appears for
them. A good analogy would be a TV commercial: you are watching your favorite
show, and suddenly you are learning about a new cleaning product.
You were not out looking for it, but now you know about it and
may buy it the next time you are shopping.
"OK, this sounds good and all, but how can I use these sites?"
Well, here are some ideas.
At a minimum you can use these sites for press releases to
announce new products/services, awards you have won, new
employees, anything new that is happening in your business.
A job recruiter could announcement new job openings.
A consulting firm could post
tips and upcoming classes.
A restaurant or bar could
announce specials for that day or even for the next hour.
A retail store could have a
last minute sale.
A manufacturer or builder
could post images of their latest projects.
Use your imagination and do
some testing to see what inspires people.
One very important and often overlooked thing to consider: like any other media used for marketing, your Facebook or Twitter page affects the professional image of your business. It must be treated like you would any other marketing campaign. Check your spelling and grammar. Resist the temptation to combine your "online" business life with your personal life. Keep your personal Facebook page as separate from your business Facebook page as possible. I don't know about you, but personally I wouldn't come away with a very good impression of a business whose post extolling their business expertise was followed by a post from the business owner detailing how he was late to work today because he stayed out too late the night before drinking.
Virtualtech can assist you with
setting up a Facebook or Twitter account and help brainstorm for
what you can post. Give Tammy a call to learn more.
Use the links below to view
Virtualtech's pages and to become a fan.
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