Social Media For Small Business 101
Social Media is certainly the ‘new thing’ for business, however just because everyone is talking about it, using it and recommending it that doesn’t mean that it is right for your business.
Social Media is just another way to market your business, to increase brand awareness, to showcase products and services and yes it is mostly free with a little bit of time and effort.
However still so many business owners get it wrong. Social Media is exactly the same as every other marketing channel out there. People still have to be interested in what you do and the solution you have.
The way you showcase your brand and product still has to use marketing strategies and not just shoved down peoples throats because you think they actually care.
It is amazing to me how many business owners think that because a person is a friend, a fan, is connected to them or is following them, that they actually care about their business, product or service.
In fact over 70% do not and you will lose the other 30% quickly if all you do is push your products onto them.
Social Media is about adding value to other people, it is about building relationships, it is about getting into other people’s circles of influence. Business owners who understand this are always going to be more effective than the rest. Think about us as humans, the number one topic each day is ‘ourselves’ we are always more concerned about what is in it for me.
So if we know that then we do business owners constantly on social media talk about themselves and what great products they have rather than talk about solutions.
The number one mistake business owners make on social media is that they do not understand how it works, how it spreads virally and the functions that are on offer to increase your following.
Social media will only work for business owners who are prepared to put aside their ego and to take the time to network, build relationships and add value to their community of fans and followers.
Those that love networking understand the power of what social media offers and usually do it very well. Social Media is more than just a ‘push your product’ on to people tool, look outside the square at some other ways to get noticed, spoken about and spread while on social media.
So does Social Media work, without a doubt it is the most powerful marketing tool you have to showcase your brand, products and service right now, it is the most powerful way to show prospects how good you are and how much of an expert you are in your field and it is the most powerful way to show social proof in what other people think about your business.But no one will listen if you do not use social media correctly.