Regardless of whether you’re a start-up or an established business, it can be tough to promote your business on a limited budget. Often, the most effective marketing campaigns are those that are creative within their means. Though it can help, you don’t have to spend money to promote your business.
Even some of the largest companies are now turning to inexpensive social media venues to get the word out about their products. Here are some cheap ways to use social media to punch your way into the market.
Blog.
A blog is an excellent and increasingly popular way to not only get the word out about your business, but also to create a dialogue with customers. A WordPress blog is completely free. If you can commit yourself to writing one high-quality, engaging blog post a day (or hire someone else to write it), in a few months’ time you will have tens of thousands of visitors hungry for the content that only you can provide.
The key benefit of a blog is the dialogue that it allows you to have with customers. Always try to cultivate a solid batch of comments for every post. Comments are free content. Usually the people commenting are passionate subject matter experts in the field, and potentially valuable contacts for your business. This also allows you to hear what your market wants, and how you can better get it to them. Always attach “Retweet” and “Like” buttons after every article so people can share your post with their friends.
Facebook.
Everybody and their Mom now has a Facebook page. Facebook has quickly become one of the top marketing tools alongside Google’s plethora of marketing gadgets. Use Facebook to share pictures, links, and blog posts to your own blog and other related items of interest.
The key with Facebook is to try and be very organic. When marketing on Facebook, think of it as a way to develop relationships and create exposure rather than trying to sell products. If you have a smart phone you can do this extremely quickly, several times a day to create an engaging story of your businesses’ day-to-day.
Twitter.
For such a simple platform, Twitter can be one of the most difficult to master, although one of the most effective if done correctly. Twitter, like Facebook, is not meant to be a sales tool, but rather a way to indirectly connect with fans and customers. Much like Facebook, you can capture interesting moments of your operation or daily life in your business, or just tweet links of related subject matter. In fact, you can set your Facebook to share anything you tweet, so it can all be done seamlessly.
The key to promoting yourself on Twitter is to follow and engage relevant people within your business or industry, and add value to your peers by offering insight and expert opinion.
Use Video!
Your average web surfer has a rapidly diminishing attention span. With all the ads and links, it can be hard for someone to focus on text alone for longer than a few minutes at a time. You can capture people’s attention better through video, and really show your personality and enthusiasm to your visitors, followers, and friends.
Archive for the ‘Online Social Networking’ Category
Facebook Mimics Google+, Alters Friends Lists
Thursday, September 15th, 2011Facebook continues to feel threatened by Google+.
Facebook began rolling out smart friend lists to users. The new tool makes it easier for us to group Facebook friends into categories such as close friends, acquaintances, or work colleagues. Sound and look familiar? It’s because it’s a Google+ feature.
According to a Facebook blog post, with the improved Friend Lists, we can easily see updates from and share with different lists of friends.
Facebook claims the lists are completely optional. If we don’t like them, we don’t have to use them.
Each of the lists has its own News Feed, where you can see just the photos, status updates and other posts from the people on that specific list.
Both Social Networking Sites Continue to Compete Against Eachother
Why does Facebook feel the need to continue changing the site? Most of us probably like the news feeds and lists as they are. If we don’t, then we know not to update our status, post a picture, or like a link.
Why should Facebook be allowed to tell us what it thinks we want to see. Aren’t we smart enough to figure that out on our own?
Facebook needs to be careful with all these new features and changes. America seems to be growing really tired of the social networking site.
Read the full story in PCWorld.com.
Social Networking at Work: Good, or Bad?
Friday, September 9th, 2011Young professionals “like”, “tweet”, “share” and “recommend” on a daily basis. But, how beneficial is social networking for companies?
Frances Pennell-Buck, a UK business consultant said, “The use of social media is essential to team building, well-being and a sense of collective purpose, especially in smaller companies where staff may be isolated at different sites.”
Do you think social media increases work productivity, or hurts the company’s reputation thanks to posts, tweets and status updates?
Can diversions like watching a YouTube video, or looking at pictures a friend uploaded on Facebook improve concentration and be healthy?
If you were allowed to surf the Internet at your leisure, do you think you’d be productive while working?
Companies Need to Adopt a Social Networking Policy
A 2010 Deloitte survey found that not only does allowing employees Internet access boost trust, but it also assists in talent retention.
Social networking isn’t always positive. Instant communication to the world can have harmful drawbacks. What happens if employees post rumors, tweet confidential information, or blog about company secrets? It’s easy to do thanks to social media sites.
Then there’s the issue of banning social media where cell phones are as well. Why shouldn’t they be? What’s the difference? If you’re not allowed to text while driving, or talk on the phone, how can you tweet, surf the Internet, or upload pictures on Facebook?
Companies need to look toward social media as a business tool, and either create, or adopt a social networking policy.
One thing that’s for certain is social networking has arrived and isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Get great tips on setting up your corporate policy in The Costco Connection.
