Web Design & Marketing Blog

Are You Taking Advantage Of Social Media?

Category: Blog

Written by Estevan Montoya

Having read several books on business, it is evident that people start a business to make a living for themselves, for their family, and to help a market with a need. A businessman that comes to mind is Robert Kiyosaki, author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. I have read most of his books, and they are a true help to anyone that wants to succeed in business. In his books, he gives you the idea that cash is flowing. A wise businessman will find where the cash is flowing from and who it is flowing to. Then they position themselves in the middle to “catch” from the flowing cash.

You see it everyday. On your way to work there are billboards. On social media sites you find side ads. On nearly every large site you find sponsored links. The thing is, people are buying. Business transactions are being made. If they are not being made “through” your business or “to” your business then they are being made with your competitors.

So, Where Should Your Business Be In Social Media?

Facebook

We know that Facebook is becoming the king of social networking. Facebook is giving Google a run for their money. There are times when more people log in to Facebook than Google. What does that teach us? It teaches us that the internet is becoming more social, rather than just being searchable. There are several routes a business can take in regard to their Facebook presence. I won't get too much into how to market on this platform (FB marketing can take multiple posts to cover!). So what do we do on Facebook?

Personal Account: A personal account helps give a face to your business. As you have a personal account, you should promote your business at a minimum. If you continually promote your business, then people will “unfriend” you. Also, though your profile should be about you, as a business professional you may need to monitor what is placed on your wall. As mentioned, the personal page helps put a face to your business and fan page.

Fan Page: This is where your business can do business on Facebook. The fan page acts as a profile for your business. Here you can and should make offers and advertise. On top of promoting your business, you should try to offer content on your fan page that makes people want to visit your site. This content should be helpful and relevant to your target market without feeling too “high pressure sales”. If all you do is promote your business, without offering valuable content, then people will “unlike” you as they would “unfriend” you from your personal page.

The thought still remains, “I am in business to make an income”. Yes, that is true. Therefore you should use your fan page as a strategic tool. I know a photographer that has about 1,000 fans. That's not much compared to others I have seen. He tells about what he is doing and where he is going. It keeps his fans interested in photos that will be arriving as a result of his travels. When he gets back and posts images, he always does a drawing to give away a small print. This keeps his fans coming back. He has used Facebook wisely, with user interest. Keeping his fans engaged keeps them coming back, so when they have a photo to buy, he is the first one they look to.

Twitter

To me Twitter is not as effective as Facebook, but I must admit that I don't use it as often. In spite of me not using it as much, I know people that are making a killing on Twitter! My primary use is to find like-minded people, follow them, and hope they will follow back. If they don't follow back in a few days, then I unfollow them. The reason is because I don't want to follow a bunch of people, and not have that many following me back. It makes my profile look like my business is not important and weak. Yet, if you do gather a strong following, where you have more followers than profiles you are following, it makes you look like an authority.

Once you have about 400+ followers, then it's good to place that on your website. When people visit your site and see high numbers, they will be more inclined to follow you. People want to follow leaders, and Twitter can make you a leader. Once you have that leadership built via Twitter, you can strategically promote your business on Twitter and  see desired results.

LinkedIn

The first two social media platforms appeal more to the consumers. LinkedIn appeals more to business professionals. It has been said that LinkedIn is the Facebook for business individuals. LinkedIn has a Facebook feel, with a twitter edge. You can connect with others in the same business field, or find people that could benefit from your business with a business to business relationship built through LinkedIn. The more connections one has, the more trustworthy one becomes. Also, if you have a 1st connection with a high profile business, then it is more likely that others will connect to you.

As your connections grow you gain trust and you can place links to your business. Since people go to a place like LinkedIn for professional references, if you are well connected, people will trust your business.