Connecting With Customers Via Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer a great opportunity for small business to connect with new and potential customers. Not to mention, they are free to set up, so they offer a great way for companies to cut their costs.

Facebook fanpages present a forum for customers and businesses to communicate. Consumers can post about their experience with a product or service, they can even share pictures. Businesses can post about promotions, contests, updates, and based on the content the post, they can draw in new fans.

For small businesses that don't have the means to advertise on a wide scale, Facebook allows companies to tailor the audience who receives their internet advertising. Companies can focus on relevant demographics for their ads. By doing so, their ads gain value, without spending money on print or television ads that may not reach their target market.

Twitter acts as a live conversation. Messages of 140 characters or less are very focused. Twitter is especially beneficial for small business internet marketing, because small business can directly connect to customers who are tweeting about their products and services. It's also beneficial for small businesses looking to connect with larger business in it's relevant field. Twitter presents small business with the opportunity to build direct connections across physical boundaries.

Small Business Tip .... Using Facebook And Twitter Social Media Marketing

The first thing you need to do in order to be a success with any social media outlet is to define exactly what it is you are trying to do (gain sales, members, fans, whatever). Then design an approach to "solve" your issue. In doing this, you must decide on an approach that gives your target information that they are truly interested in. You must ENGAGE them in conversation. The very worst thing you can do is talk about YOURSELF, or your product, or push a sale. Engage and establish yourself as expert!

I can give you an example of what I have seen several companies do. They will hold contests on FaceBook for their current fan base, utilizing them to build the fan base..."get three of your friends to like us on FaceBook, and we will send you a gift certificate"..or something to that affect. Certainly you can see the power in this "snowball"effect of gaining friends/fans, and also the potential for additional via not only the winner of the contest, but others that have now fanned you.

Fridays Restaurant chain did a promo recently where they sent every person who fanned their site a free burger. While this probably cost the company some cash, how many people go to Fridays and get just that hamburger? I would bet a large percentage also buy a cocktail...or fries..or whatever. Clearly this is a measurable promo,also!

Too many companies take a "set it and forget it" approach which does not work wtih Social Media. My Mother always taught me that there is no such thing as free in this world. Social media appears to be free, but it is not. It takes time and effort to be successful with Social Media marketing, just like it does with any marketing endeavor.

Is Twitter Part Of Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

The interesting thing (to me) is even though there are so many Twitter users, less than 10% are active on a regular basis. In fact, I read most users have less than 10 posts and same for followers.

Even if Twitter is included in your marketing strategy, without commitment and regular contribution to build a following it isn't really a strategy. Twitter should be included in your marketing mix, but not how I see many people using it.

So many times, I see people using Twitter to send automatic direct messages (DMs) when someone follows them promoting their product, or they have automatic tweets set up to go out at the same time, everyday, that say the same thing.

This is not how Twitter is used effectively and to most, these methods are seen as spam.

While tweets can be set up to automatically post, there is a way to set them up so that they aren't seen at the same time day after day. You can stagger your messages throughout the day and at different times on different days.

But you can't just use automatic tweets and believe that Twitter will be a successful medium for you. Twitter is a part of social networking. The key word is networking. Twitter is a means to connect and build relationships from all walks of life and from around the county. For a business owner, or company, it's a way to branch out from Chamber Mixers or BNI meetings on a local level. Don't just tweet or read. Reply. Retweet. Talk.

In my opinion, and based on the experiences that I've had with Twitter, the strategy that you come up with and implement includes finding followers and following people who you can connect with ….. and then after striking up a relationship on Twitter, moving the conversation to email, phone, or in person.

Social media is all the buzz. I encounter many small businesses who are allured by the fact it is 'free'. They think they can ditch all other marketing and focus exclusively on Twitter and Facebook. (Most will be very disappointed.)

I think Twitter can work to support a sound marketing plan. (That means actually having a well-planned, diverse marketing plan.) However, too many just tweet silly things without thinking about relevant keywords that may lure new followers.

It's important to think about your customer/prospect base. It's not what YOU think is important, but what your customer/prospects do.

The bottom line is to figure out what will build loyalty and increase sales.