Today’s special
information is about Social Media –
Enjoy and put to good
use,
How to
Market Your Business with Social Media -- Our Top 6 Tips
If
you want to have a successful online business, you can no longer afford to ignore
social media.
Whether you're talking about sites like
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, or the millions of blogs, forums, and groups
that exist online, social media continues to dominate the Internet
landscape.
If you want to be a part of the conversation then you need to
know how to use these sites effectively to engage with your audience and build
authentic relationships with them.
In this article, you'll learn
our top six
tips on how to do just that... But first, let's talk about why a
social media presence is so important to your business.
What
You Need to Know about Social Media
According
to Nielsen Research, social networking has become the fourth most popular online
activity -- surpassing even email!
In fact, an incredible two-thirds of all Internet
users regularly visit social media sites.
Check out
these stats:
Social networking
sites and blogs are the #1 most visited category of
websites
As of February 2010,
Facebook had over 400
million registered users
Twitter users send
over 50 million tweets a
day to each other.
In December 2009,
global users spent five
and half hours on sites such as Facebook and Twitter -- an
82%
increase from the same time last year .
In the U.S. alone,
142.1 million unique
visitors went to a blog or social networking site in December
2009
Because
of their growing popularity, social media sites have become an especially
attractive marketing tool for both online and offline businesses. By
engaging with customers through a blog or Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube,
businesses can spread the word about their business to their target audience,
manage their online reputation -- and cultivate a deeper relationship with their
established customer base.
And the most amazing thing? Most social media
users welcome a closer relationship with the businesses they enjoy.
According to Cone Research and Insights, 85% of social media
users want their favorite businesses to actively engage with
them through social media.
But here's where it gets tricky.
There
is a right way to engage with people on social media sites -- and there is a
wrong way.
The right way will help you
cultivate a meaningful relationship with your audience, and convert interested
visitors into lifelong loyal buyers. The wrong way will inevitably
drive people away... and could even provoke them to badmouth your business to
others.
Yikes!
To help you avoid that fate, here are our top six
"rules of engagement" on how to use social media the right
way...
Rule
1: Do Your Research
Before
you dive into the world of social media, do some research to discover which
sites are most popular with your audience. Are they spending time on Facebook or
on Twitter? Are there any popular forums or blogs they tend to visit and comment
on?
All the major social media websites have search tools that allow you
to search on your keywords to find users and groups talking about the things
you're interested in.
To find forums and discussion boards, enter your
keywords into Google with "discussion" or "forum" tacked at the end. Google will
point you to groups where your market might be hanging out.
Then plug
your keywords into Google BlogSearch to find blogs with content relevant to your
business. Once you discover some good ones, remember to check their blogrolls --
the list of other blogs they link to in their sidebar, or on a separate page on
their site -- for more great spots to check out.
Make a list of the
places where you find the greatest representation of your target market -- and
then you're ready to get started.
We recommend you spend some time
checking out the discussions already in progress, joining relevant groups,
following and "friending" interesting folks you meet, and building up your
identity as a trusted participant by providing solid ideas and information
(without a pitch!)
And don't worry about joining every single group you
discover -- start with three or four to help you get your feet wet, and then
expand your presence from there.
If you try to become involved in too
many communities at once you might find yourself overwhelmed before you even
discover the potential of social media for your business!
Rule
2: Create an interesting, memorable profile
Now
let's talk about how to set up an engaging presence that builds trust in your
potential customers right away.
In your profile on each social media
site, be sure to include:
a friendly picture of
yourself (or your company logo)
a pitch-free
description of your business
your website URL
...along with some
non-salesy information about your interests and passions to confirm to potential
new connections that you're a real person worth getting to know!
In
fact, we recommend you use the same information and photo or logo for all your
profiles -- that way, people who meet you at one site will be able to easily
connect with you at another!
As you start to engage with people on a
social media site, make it your goal to maintain a warm, helpful, professional
stance. By offering friendly advice and tips, and pointing them to places they
can find more useful or interesting information, you will gather a loyal
community of people who value your input and trust your
recommendations.
Rule
3: Listen before you talk
When
you sign up for a social media site, blog, or forum, take some time to listen
first.
If you jump into the conversation with a sales
pitch, and start blasting people with messages about how great your product is,
they're going to react in exactly the same way that
people would if you started handing out business cards and trying to score new
customers at a friend's casual dinner party.
Spend some time reading
posts, messages and tweets -- and while you do, ask yourself the following
questions:
What are people most
excited about?
What topics come up
again and again -- and why?
What are the most
common problems people are facing?
What problems aren't
being solved by existing products?
What are your
market's biggest frustrations?
What products are
they talking about -- for better or for worse?
By
listening first, you'll get a feel for the tone of the conversations already in
progress, which will help you strike the right note when it comes time to join
in.
You'll also send the message that you value the information and
opinions people are sharing with one another... and that you're not just there
to do a “drive by” sales pitch.
Now,
if you find people speaking directly about YOUR product or service, it will
undoubtedly be tempting to jump in right away and respond to them. If their
comments are positive, feel free to offer a quick “thank you!” or note of
appreciation.
If their comments are negative, however, respond politely
and briefly to let your customer know you want to provide them with a positive
experience -- and then take the time to write an email or send a private note
offering assistance or support.
Disputing their account publicly or
engaging in a war of words will only make you and your business look bad --
which is exactly the opposite of what you're trying to do.
Rule
4: Engage with your market -- don't just try to sell to
them
To
understand the true value of social marketing, you need to understand why people
spend time hanging out at social websites.
Generally, they're seeking
diversion and entertainment, or pursuing information about their passions and
interests. Popular activities include...
corresponding with
friends and family
meeting and
socializing with online friends
watching funny or
informative videos
recommending
interesting articles to fellow readers
listening to
entertaining podcasts
playing addictive
real-time games
...
In other words, they're looking for FUN -- and not for something to buy.
And they can
smell a "pitch" a mile away.
If you're planning to waltz
into an online community and start talking about your product and how great it
is, you'll likely end up getting nothing but the cold shoulder in response!
Instead, spend time observing how people interact with each other, and
tuning into their conversations -- and then follow their lead. Make it your
mission to provide lots of useful free advice and interesting information, and
you'll generate a much warmer welcome from your new online friends.
Rule
5: Give them information they WANT
Once
you've done some listening, you can start sharing information with your market
through social media -- as long as you focus on providing value above all else.
Here's what we mean...
Give expert
advice: Establish your
expertise by answering common questions about your industry, and offering
valuable information in related discussions and groups. That doesn't mean,
however, that you should answer every question by pointing to your product, even
if it seems like the most obvious solution!
You want to earn trust
first... and let that lead naturally to sales.
Share thoughts about
your industry: Share your own ideas
about what's happening in your industry through blog posts, microblogs and group
posts. Start discussions that matter to you, and invite other people to share
their ideas alongside yours.
Be transparent about
your company information and mission: Share who you are,
how you got started in your industry, and your passion for what you do and why
you do it.
Spread public
relations-style information: Put the word out
about new product releases, new product features, press mentions or awards
you've received.
Provide great
customer service: Post common problem
solutions, product bulletins, problem solving, best practices, training and tips
for using your products. Don't be scared to solve a customer's problem publicly
if they post it publicly. It's not a bad thing for customers to see that you
stand behind your products, and that you're eager to solve
problems!
Tell customer stories
(with permission!): Share stories of
people who have had positive experiences with your products, or have overcome
difficulties as a result of using your products.
Have a little
fun: Post games, contests,
and interesting pictures or videos related to your products or
industry.
Offer special
deals: Create offers just
for your social media "friends" -- but not with a heavy pitch, please! Just a
link with a discount code will do -- let your site speak for
itself!
Encourage feedback
and research your market: Questions, polls and
surveys targeted towards your community or customers can be a great way of
getting great market research data, product feedback, and information about the
right direction for your business to head in future.
Rule
6: Participate!
If
you want to build up a loyal community on social media sites, you have to focus
above all else on being someone worth knowing.
People are drawn to those
who care about what they have to say, and who contribute in valuable ways to the
conversations that matter to them. If you respond promptly and politely to
people, and provide great information, they'll love you.
On the other
hand, if you only participate sporadically, and neglect to offer information
people find entertaining or helpful, you'll find yourself hard-pressed to
establish a connection.
Above all, when you communicate with your
audience on social media sites, the most important thing is not to sound
"spammy." It's perfectly fine to let people know what you do and what you offer
-- but not to hit them over the head with a sales pitch.
Few people head
to social media websites looking directly for items to purchase -- but they do
appreciate coming across people who provide great information and great service.
And if they are
looking directly for product or service recommendations, your active presence
and solid reputation will put you at the top of everyone's list.
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