How Social Media Can Serve Your Business
Social networking is the new frontier when it comes to expanding one’s business and personal life. With minimum requirements to enter, and multiple sites to utilize, these sites offer unparalleled options for individuals and companies to reach out and establish a presence on the World Wide Web.
There are many social networking sites out there. The most popular ones are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. A closer examination of each networking site reveals some of the advantages they pose for personal and business gains.
Almost everyone out there has a Facebook profile. It is a great way to stay in touch with friends who are both near and far, and to also find friends, family members, and coworkers, with whom you would like to re-establish contact. Facebook offers individuals many options to market themselves. For example, you can upload your photos, create albums, post comments, play games, share images and emails, etc. Individuals can also create groups, interest pages, communities etc.
From a business perspective, many companies are aware of the business potential of marketing on Facebook. Ever notice those advertisements in the sidebars of your Facebook profile? Many companies use Facebook to market special deals, coupons, and sales. They encourage you to click on their banner, usually by offering you a great deal, which will then lead you to their parent site. Of all the social networking sites out there, Facebook is the easiest to use, which is why many people and businesses use it so much.
Twitter is second in line after Facebook, when it comes to popular social networking sites. For individuals, Twitter is a micro blogging service. It helps people stay in touch by enabling users to post short status updates, profile pages, regular “tweets”, etc. It is also a great platform to express your mind, that is freedom of speech. Since every “tweet” is indexed, it is a great way to broadcast your opinions around the world.
For businesses, this is a great platform to post a steady stream of news links and flashes to share with subscribers, who are usually customers who are interested in your product or service. This is also an opportunity for you to showcase brand personality, research trends, seek feedback, and provide customer service. Twitter can be a useful platform for companies with a steady flow of news flashes or links to share with follower.
This is a great networking site for professionals and ladder-climbers. LinkedIn enables you to create a free basic account, which features your professional profile, complete with your work history, education, photograph, contact information etc. It enables people to form professional connections, look for new job opportunities, connect with seniors in various companies, and generate discussions. In a nutshell, LinkedIn is great for professional networking.
For businesses LinkedIn is a boon. It helps businesses scout out new talent. Individuals who fit your company profile may also apply to work with you. Information that you post about your company through whitepages, “tweets”, events etc., helps establish your company’s credibility. Lastly, on LinkedIn, the company page enables businesses to promote their services and products. This is a great way of expanding your marketing efforts.
Think of Pinterest as a medium for digital scrapbooking. It enables consumers to promote services and products for free.
Pinterest is focused on a person’s interests. It is an excellent place for bloggers and websites too. The images that you post on Pinterest can be easily linked to a site, which is a great way to increase traffic to your site. In return, you will increase your web page ranking.
Business owners can showcase their products on storyboards. You can get very creative in how you display your products and services. This will enable consumers to check out what you have to offer, before they contact you. In other words, the visual image is doing most of the marketing for you. In terms of expanding a business, you can use Pinterest to conduct market research, i.e. which are products are being repinned? This will help determine a product’s popularity, and marketability. To gain the most out Pinterest, you want to ensure that the consumer is quickly transformed from browser to a customer.
Social networking is the new way for people and businesses to expand. As it continues to expand, new virtual dimensions are crossed, enabling easier access, increased knowledge, and improved connectivity.