Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Your Social Media Experience as a Small Business
Tuesday, July 06, 2010 by Matt Hymel
A popular topic for online marketers tends to be the discussion
of absolute value for social media activity in regards to business
participation (Even we have provided you with tips on maximizing social
media ROI). Small businesses want a clear - and, ideally,
quantifiable -- definition of what platforms like Facebook and
Twitter can provide for their company's growth and development.
While larger brands have an established fan base to utilize,
small businesses are challenged to use creative and innovative social media executions to break
the monotony of digital engagement. In order to stand out, taking a
step in the different direction may pay dividends to your company's
income and image.
To add on to our previous remarks, social media is approached
quite differently when it comes to small businesses or
entrepreneurs. With such an active audience, it makes sense to
establish a presence where your potential consumers reside. But
what can you expect to experience?
There's a lot of spam. Whether through
Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn, there will be the occasional
spam messages similar to email content. Like business, these
messages go where the reader is. Expect to see spam and malicious
content increase as social media becomes more integrated in
professional settings.
You're not the only business selling <insert product
name>. One of the most prudent tactics when entering
the social media arena is to take a look at what other companies
are doing, specifically those of your competitors. Interact as if
you were a potential consumer - what are they doing right? What
could they change? Take these lessons and apply it to your
strategy. This is just like establishing a business plan, except
you will find that social media execution innovation is still an
ongoing process. Learn and adapt from companies that make noise in
the digital theater.
Come to the table with quality content. Social
media users love two things: up-to-date content and unique, quality
content. Whether it's keeping your Twitter followers up to date
with your office's internal shenanigans or announcing for the first
time a product launch on Facebook, the content should speak for
your company and no other. Looking at your competitors is just one
step in establishing an online identification - add your business
personality, goals, and work ethic to the equation to create an
approachable online presence.
People genuinely want to connect. Despite all
the mass messages and multiple account coordination, people and
brands ultimately want to establish a solid plane of communication.
When a user finds content that he or she enjoys, it is human nature
to pass it along or share it with others who are interested. An
article from LetsTalkSEO.com points out that "with more
experiences and knowledge, social media users are becoming more and
more skilled at spotting fakers." The more time you spend around
someone (both physically and digitally), the more you understand
his or her reputation and intentions.
Use social media how YOU want. Some small
business owners feel like there's a book that will teach and show
them exactly what to create and promote on each social media
platform. Not only is this not the case, but it is detrimental to
the very purpose of social media: creating an online personality.
From an article
on SearchEngineWatch.com, here are a few marketing executions
that small businesses have found useful for social media:
- Customer service - Solving a problem for a client in public
allows others to utilize the solution and notice your effective
communication
- Feedback tool - Get real-time information and ideas
- Networking opportunity - Unlike an event that lasts a few
hours, social media is a plethora of networking opportunities, 24
hours a day
While these experiences are notably prominent, each small
business will observe different opportunities and struggles. The
one tip that seems to resonate among small business social media
users is this: go in with a user-centric strategy and an open
mind.
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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