You barely have time, energy or the know-how to keep up with your own family and friends on social media websites, so how in the world can you consider implementing social media for your business? It’s time consuming. The question you may have is:
“Does Social Media really work to generate business, and how can it help my business?”
Indeed Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other social media websites have popped up and exploded like wildfire. As a business owner, you may already be worked to death doing your job and trying to manage all of the day in and day out functions of operating a business. Is social media just a fad? Or should you jump on the bandwagon and take part in this new revolution of marketing? The latter is true. No matter if you are selling fragrant skin care or a book; consulting services or fitness products and services, social media can help your business. The reason is simple: it is for relationship building. Instead of word-of-mouth in your own community, you now have the opportunity to spread the word about your business locally and globally.
Customers could come from anywhere. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar establishment – such as a local retailer or restaurant – there is plenty of opportunity to build your business using social media. Think of it this way, when friends tell one another about a great experience they’ve had eating at your restaurant, other friends will read about it and the idea to go there will be planted. After the seed has been planted, you can also further engage these people with targeted objectives using the tools that social media has to offer. IM (chatting), educating your followers, inviting crowds to come by, offering a discount or asking people to post a review are just a few examples of ways you can attract more business to your social media sites. If you feel overwhelmed, you don’t have to manage everything yourself.
You can hire a social media consultantor assign someone on your staff to handle it. By putting your “face” out there as a real business owner, you are standing behind your company and it will help to increase your branding and reputation.
So, let’s recap the reasons why your business benefits from Social Media:
- Economical
- Great way to build relationships
- Extends consumer reach beyond your local region
- Aids word-of-mouth referrals
- Easy to track
- Has clever tools to build rapport
- Builds up reputation
- Lets you put your business face in front of more customers
This is the social media era. Customers want better service and more credibility. As a business, social media lets you build your brand, engage prospects and customers, and connect with the world in ways never before possible!
