So you have your Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, and other Social Media Platforms set up for your Small Business. Are they gathering dust or are you making time to branch out and create new relationships?
We already know that having a great marketing plan should include Social Media, yet many small businesses are still considering this to be a passive form of promotion. This type of advertising doesn’t need you to be managing it 24/7, but making the time to create new relationships in your online community can bring new clients to your doorstep. Actual, paying customers. Ones you might not have met otherwise, imagine.
Think of your social media platforms as potential connections…are you reaching out to your local community pages and showing your support? Are you commenting on the posts of other businesses in your referral network and sharing your news and updates? Making time to give an ‘online handshake’ can be as powerful a tool as face to face networking. If you were to look closely, you would see that social media groups are forming referral networks and relationships that do not exist anywhere else. Once you begin to participate in this arena, those that might not have heard of your business, product or service will be able to find and research you before making the decision to purchase. Seeing your business name again and again reinforces their decisions, and keeps you top of mind for when they are ready to engage with you.
Think of your Social Media Platforms as a gateway to your website, and then to your front door. If you are not branching out into your online community, you can be sure that your competitors are. Try it: Go to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages, and start posting new content. Visit other pages of your referral and networking partners and community organizations; Share their content. Watch as your social media following grows over time, and make sure you monitor your efforts with Google Analytics to measure increases in traffic to your website.
In my role as Marketing Manager I always try to give credit to others for their contributions in the community, but wait…they don’t have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, or even a decent website I can use to recognize them. Shame, thousands upon thousands of people could be seeing that business name online, what a waste of an opportunity. If you don’t have a Google + page, you might not even be on the Google map! These sites are still ‘free’, why not use them?
If you’re not ‘branching out’ with your social media efforts, you won’t see the benefit of having them at all. Happy Posting; make some new connections and build some new relationships this season, you’ll be surprised at how well it works.
Victoria, ConsumerView Remote Marketing Services, www.ConsumerViewMarketing.com
