Social Networking and Your Business – PART 2

Facebook, Twitter and UTube

Facebook

Facebook has become the face of the social Web. Estimates put the total membership in the United States at about 80 million accounts. The fastest-growing demographic are people age 55 and over; 50 percent of the accounts set up on Facebook are by people over age 35. This is not just for college kids anymore.

From a marketing perspective, there are two aspects of Facebook that a business should pay attention to. First is the social networking aspect. There are an increasing number of businesses that have created a Facebook fan page for their clients to interact with. There are many businesses that are making their Facebook fan pages an integral part of their Web sites, Blogs and online presence, providing them with greater visibility. See Christina Houser Photography as an example. This photographer is using Facebook to reach out to and interact with their clients. Because of this presence, they are also reaching out to their clients friends (we would call them prospects).

The second aspect of Facebook marketing is Facebook advertising, one of the most targeted forms of advertising currently available on the Internet. This provides a new way for businesses to communicate and connect to new audiences. Because of the information that is provided in a Facebook user's profile, an agency can target their ads to a very specific type of person. For example, you can target an ad to display to only those people who have a particular city listed in their profile.

Twitter

Twitter is a "micro-blog." In 140 characters or less you can describe what you are doing, reading, offering, promoting, or whatever else you think others will find of value. For most businesses, Twitter has moved beyond far beyond describing where you are having lunch. And it doesn't really matter whether you care or not, it might matter to certain a certain number of your customers or clients. Recently an insurance agent out of Boston wrote that he had written two technology accounts because of Twitter, something to think about!

Twitter can represent another communication channel for customers who are inclined to be on the leading edge of technology and communication. While you may not be sure if Twitter can actually help your business grow, we suggest you try it for 30 days before dismissing it. There are an increasing number of businesses on Twitter that provide a tremendous amount of useful information and have successfully added to their customer/fan base.

YouTube

YouTube is a video sharing site where users can upload view and share video clips. Google acquired the site in November 2006. Before the launch of YouTube in 2005, there were few simple methods available for ordinary computer users who wanted to post informational videos online. With its easy-to-use interface, YouTube made it possible for anyone who could use a computer to post a video that millions of people could watch within a few minutes.  It's hard to find someone who hasn't viewed a video on YouTube. From funny to educational, there are a huge number of videos available for viewing on YouTube.

We believe the video represents a great opportunity to create a personal connection with prospects and new customers.  Businesses can use video uploaded to YouTube to educate their prospects and clients about their services or products, answer frequently asked questions so their staff doesn't have to spend time answering the same question over and over, and use it as a promotion item explaining why someone should work with your business.

In the end, all of these avenues of social networking can work together to bet your business recognized faster.  It does take time and commitment and not every portal is right for every business.  Pros and cons of each need to be analyzed but we recommend you don’t wait too long to jump in and do SOMETHING to get your business, services or products out into the social networking world.  If you need assistance determining how, why or if you should give it a go,, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Your MarketingPlace!

Social Networking and Your Business – PART 1

Blogs & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In this series of articles on social networking we are going to help familiarize readers with each of the platforms available to businesses.  I have found in discussing the internet, networking, email marketing and search engine optimization with business owners that a few are very resistant to the idea, feeling that they are “invading” customers personal space by sending emails or “sharing” or “liking” them to their business or company information.  We would like to dispel some of these concerns in this series of articles.

The Internet represents a great untapped marketing opportunity for every business. The skills necessary to take best advantage of this opportunity, however, are different and will require time and effort to learn how to maximize its use.

The key to making the most of Internet marketing is to first create a marketing strategy for your business. Once you decide where you want to go, you determine what tools are available to help you get there. We will continue to describe some of the tools that are available here and in future posts. The sooner you begin utilizing these new tools, the quicker you will see your business grow!