Small Business Marketing: How to Capitalize on Social Media for Beginners

Small Business Marketing: How to Capitalize on Social Media for Beginners

Olivia Forbes is a freelance SEO writer for Public Relations Depot, a marketing company catering to small business by helping them increase website traffic and harness free publicity. She has worked in the marketing industry for over 10 years.http://www.prdepotchicago.com/ For More Information

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With the ever so popularity of Social Media, its no wonder why so many business owners are stammering to promote their products on such sites as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.

Marketing to an audience of millions is nothing to sneeze at, and with a growth of over 1000% alone for Twitter. Its best to know how to capitalize on this ever growing community.

At the core of any good marketing strategy is the art of networking. Combine a sea of prospects through social networks and you can easily turn those within your circle into customers.

Is it hard? Well, not so much hard as it is time consuming. Social networking is not for the weak in social skills or those with very little time on their hands. If all you can offer is a few minutes a week, and you’re looking to really capitalize, you might want to reconsider your social media marketing dreams. One thing to remember about social media is the fact that its a continuous flow of information. Members send and receive information constantly, daily and every second of the day – they can discuss both the good, bad and the ugly about your business.

This is exactly why its so vital to engage regularly in conversations and include it within your own marketing strategy. You’ll have the ability to influence others by speaking out on your opinions – a great way to build a following, generate new leads and therefore build more revenue. The social networking movement is proving to be a good way make more money online.

Over the years marketing sales strategies were designed around customers coming to you. With social networking this strategy is completely in reverse, it gives you the opportunity to directly engage with potential customers by networking with them in their own hangouts. Quite frankly, there’s no better way to build your business than through a thriving online social medium.

Here I’ll go over the many benefits of social networking:

Generates Brand Conversation and Conversations: A successful social networking strategy will often times lead to more chat about your business brand, and when your message starts to circulate among the community and its members, your message will be spread more effectively than tradition mediums.

Good ROI (return on investment – your time really): Grabbing a top position of a social site as the leader of your industry can send you tons traffic almost instantly. The traffic may not all turn into conversions, but it will generate momentum in your direction.

Doesn’t cost much (again, just your time): A well thought out, and executed strategy, may help decrease the cost of your advertising and marketing expense. Of course, social networking is all about engagement – in other words – you get back what you out in. Spend five minutes a week online, expect zero return. Dedicate some real time on a daily basis and you’ll see the benefits.

Page Rankings Benefits: More and more search engines are indexing your tweets, posts and other social networking updates. These are great opportunities to create more links to your site that will no-doubt benefit your search engine rankings.

Getting Recommended: I can tell you first hand that becoming a voice in the social network communities can, and will, help you get recommendations from others who have (and those who have not) worked with you. I receive inquires all the time from members who were referred to me by another follower. I’m very active in the communities, offer my support and advice and in return I am recommended by those who have gotten to know me through my daily participation.

Its not a secret that social media marketing can be a bit un/predictable if you’ve jumped in without a plan of even the knowledge of how to trek through the constant movement of information.

While it can seem overwhelming at first, social media, if properly executed – can bring in more business and attention to your company. You can eventually start reducing your advertising cost, get a better understanding of your ideal customers, increase brand recognition as well as sales conversions.

Ready to start running your own successful social media marketing campaign?

My Tips:

-LISTEN and RESPOND to followers/friends.
-Be personal, NOT impersonal – Never use automated responses, its a quick way to sabotage all your efforts.
-Be real, and be HONEST. Aside from automated responses, telling a lie here and there about who you are, who you work for and stretching the truth is a surefire way to damage any potential relationships now, and down the line.

-Its about COMMUNITY. Participate and enjoy your new found family. Its no different than going to an event and being the one standing in the corner watching everyone pass by. Introduce yourself, say hello and good morning, and just be a part of the community. You’ll gain more friends, and recommendations this way.

While the biggest draw to social media is the free price tag. It does require a lot of your time, and as we all know – Time is money, and money is time.

So if you’re ready to jump in. Give social media a try. Pick yourself a favorite site (Twitter,Facebook,etc.), or niche site (arts and crafts,etc.) – Then get yourself joined and get started. And, If you happen to find me here and there, go ahead and introduce yourself. I’ll be more than happy to show you around.

You may also like to see the following articles:

• How to Improve Your Online Marketing
• The Value of Facebook and LinkedIn for Your Business
• Making the Best From Social Networking Websites
• Opportunities Are Knocking With An Online Auction
• How to Use New Media Tools to Market Your Business Online