Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
How to use social media to bring business on no budget
Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Michael Holley
There's been no shortage of buzz about social media over the
last 6 months or so, with many businesses like Comcast and Dell
claiming that it's changing the face of online advertising. But
why? What are these businesses doing with these tools and widgets
to drive profits?
Check out this New York Times article for lots of
examples of micro-businesses leveraging Twitter to help them grow.
The answer for these businesses is not to treat social media like a
traditional advertising platform, but rather to embrace the
interactive and conversational aspects that made it such a consumer
phenomenon in the first place.
No one logs onto Twitter to read 140-character ads. Social media
platforms are successful because of consumers' desire to learn and
interact. Successful social media efforts will contain dynamic
content that gives users a reason to keep coming back. For example,
our downstairs neighbor, Threadless, holds t-shirt giveaways, announces
the release of new designs, and offers videos of warehouse tours
via their Twitter account. Threadless had a tent at
this year's Pitchfork Music Festival and disclosed the location of
free t-shirts exclusively on Twitter.
So before you make your next tweet, start your next LinkedIn
discussion, or make your next Facebook group, ask yourself: what do
I have to offer my contacts? What can I do to differentiate this
form of contact from any other medium?
As you build your social media empire, feel free to follow Switchfast on
Twitter for updates on what we're doing alongside some great
info on news and deals on the internet.
Best,
Michael Holley
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Consulting
& Support
Rochester
IT Consulting & Support
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