If the business world is a haystack, then the last thing you want to be is a needle.
Luckily, social media is the perfect way to showcase your business’s products and services while reaching the largest audience possible.
With social success in mind, here are just a few sites worth your business’s time as well as a few tips when it comes to running the social side of your business:
Facebook for All-Around Outreach
The king, queen, and castle of social media is Facebook and if your business doesn’t have an account on this social site, then you’re in the marketing dark ages.
From staying connected to customers to answering questions to posting news and updates about your business’s products and services, Facebook is the best all-around social site.
In addition to the social benefits above, Facebook simply gives your business’s name a face. With Facebook, you can show your business’s personality and the personalities of your staff, which is always a great way to gain more attention over the competition.
Sharing Business Updates with Twitter
With a 140-character mentality, your business can really gain the attention it’s looking for. Twitter is a great way to keep customers informed on everything your business has to offer from new product releases to discounts and any other update you can think of.
Twitter followers won’t flock to your business’s handle overnight, so it’s important to be consistent with your posts.
And remember, there are a number of ways as the article “how mastering social media can turn into a career” shows, and it all starts with a consistent presence.
So, make it a point to promote your business daily on Twitter to achieve the maximum number of followers. This is the case whether you’re running the business yourself or looking to further skills in the world of social media, an almost must in today’s information age.
Gaining Authority with Google+
Putting all of your efforts into gaining a social presence won’t do your business much good if you don’t establish authority first. With Google+, you can create an authority site for your business and share it with your customers and other business acquaintances.
In addition, Google+ also has a Communities feature, which is inherently social.
The Communities feature allows your business to directly reach out to customers and solicit feedback on your products and services. This creates stronger customer relationships and helps your business improve its weak areas.
Spreading the Word (and Reviews) with Yelp
Happy customers are great, but if you want the rest of the digital masses to know how awesome your business is, then you need to jump on the Yelp bandwagon. Yelp is hugely beneficial when it comes to marketing because satisfied customers do the work for you.
As long as you provide top-notch products and services while making sure that every customer you do business with is satisfied, Yelp will grab you untold amounts of positive attention.
So, open a Yelp account, encourage your customers to leave reviews, and watch your online presence grow.
Does Your Business Need a Social Media Manager?
Creating a position in your company for a social media manager is a tough decision. Sure, there are budget concerns involved, but it’s important to realize that social networking is the future of marketing.
If you don’t have the time or knowledge to successfully implement regular social campaigning into your daily work activities, then a part-time or full-time social media manager may be necessary. On the other hand, if you’re comfortable navigating the social waters on your own and your efforts are achieving results; an in-house networking professional may be overkill.
Whether you want to stand out among the digital crowd or you just want to gain a little traffic for your business’s website, let the social media sites above help.
About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including social networking and marketing.
