Business 101: How to Widen Customer Network Using Social Media

/in , /by

Many businesses today, both old and new, rely on the internet and the power of social media to further expand their customer network, increase brand awareness and build partnerships.

Having a steady stream of customers is what makes a business successful, that is why entrepreneurs explore all avenues of marketing to gather as many customers as they can. And that is where the internet and social media plays such big roles.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you want to widen your customer network using the internet and social media, so you can build a better online presence and create intelligent brand awareness campaigns.

Social Media Optimization (SMO)

You don’t necessarily need to hire a Virtual Assistant to manage your social media accounts, and hiring an expert SMO company is not very practical for start-up businesses. Expanding your customer network doesn’t need to be expensive.

You can start your own SMO simply by creating an account and adding a description of your business. Try it with top social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Learn basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so you’d know how to use keywords. Anyone can be a SMO or SEO specialist if only they would take the time to learn it.

Pay More Attention to Details

Twitter has a list of trending topics. Try to look for topics related to your business and industry. This can help you understand your costumers better and make improvements on your products and services

Blogs and forums are also best for stalking gossips and praises about your business as well as your competitors’ online reputation. You can also go through the comments section on Facebook to learn more about what your customers really wants. You will be able to plan for better campaigns to increase your customer network.

Microblogging

Articles doesn’t always need to be long and full of pictures, that is why we have microblogging such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk and many more.

Microblogging sites are good for making short updates about your business and to start a discussion with an interesting topic. The main goal here is to let customers and potential clientele know about the latest happenings in your business, it’s a great way to market and sell products using social media sites!

Vodcasting

Vodcast is a video file that works as the same as podcasting. It’s a simple way to let people know about your products and services. It can also build ongoing relationships with your clients and employees, and expand your customer network.

Remember that YouTube video you watched about a product that made you feel you want to try it right away? How about the short clip you saw on Vine, Netflix or MetaCafe that made you feel special? These are social media sites for video sharing, a great platform for businesses to build brand awareness.

What makes it very effective? It’s portable, convenient and the content is easy to digest. You can share it almost anywhere on the internet, and people can download it and watch it anytime they want. You can hire a part-time video editor or media manger to help you create amazing vodcasts!

Go Mobile

Is your business mobile ready? Because your customers are always up to date with the latest gadgets and technologies available in the market. Always think and plan ahead.

More and more people today are now using their mobile phones to connect to the internet, interact on social media sites, check their emails, look up a website, purchase things they want, find a local business and many more. So it’s important that your business is also up to date.

Imagine if there is no internet today, your manufacturing or service business is new and you have a very limited budget. How will you market your products and services offline? What if you can’t afford even the cheapest packages that local advertising companies offer? Will flyers help expand your customer network?

An entrepreneur who stays inside his comfort zone will never experience true success. Take risks. Gamble on what you think can benefit your business. If you feel that hiring a Virtual Assistant can help expand your client network using social media, do it. If you think that hiring the services of a video editor or a media manager can help boost brand awareness, do it! Do not get yourself left behind in this fast changing world, it’s either you adapt or drop out.

4 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business Grow

/in , /by

It has been a proven way to increase your business’ online presence by using social media optimization (SMO). It is one of the best techniques for brand awareness, building trust and increasing your profit. But do you know how much more you can get with SMO? If you haven’t marketed your business using social media, better start now!

Here are 4 great ways how optimizing your Social Media profiles can help your business grow.

Better Communication and Customer Service

Live interactions with customers and potential clients are limitless using social networking sites. This is your chance to know more about the people who patronize your products and services. You can even use Facebook’s “Insights” to monitor the activities on your Facebook page and make improvements to your weak spots. There’s also your web analytics which can help you determine the most interesting things that can engage a web surfer to your site and target specific locations or audience. Maximize all the free tools available so you can provide your customers with better services.

Free Ways to Keep Your Brand Fresh and Repeat Exposure

Ever wonder why TV commercials need to be repetitive all the time? It’s because of effective frequency which can determine a response from potential customers based on the number of times they have been exposed to an advertisement. If successfully done, it can then engage customers to buy the product being advertised.

Now you’re probably contradicting, because search engines do not like repeated content unlike the commercials on TV. It’s true that content is king when it comes to online branding and search engine optimization, and that mass duplication of content is the opposite. The best way you can remind your customers about your brand is to always provide them with fresh content; have a blog where fresh content is being uploaded frequently, or a forum where customers can interact with you and with each other, then use social media to connect them all!

Build Loyalty and Authority

You can also build and strengthen customer loyalty and authority using social media optimization; by simply interacting with customers and providing them with interesting information, not by constantly posting advertisement of your products and services. Customers doesn’t like to be force fed with ads. Give them respect through interesting topics, advices and discussions, make your business as their go-to resource when searching for help. Happy customers leave footprints of positive comments all around the web.

Hire and Be Hired!

LinkedIn can be a great tool to find professionals with specific skills you need to complete a project. You can even get a team of individuals with different sets of skills for a very complex project you never thought you could finish.

Aside from hiring people online, you can also connect with other entrepreneurs in your industry and share ideas, and collaborate and create new strategies that can benefit your businesses. You will be more noticeable and influential the more you join and interact with various companies and organizations on social media sites. You’ll be surprised to see other businesses asking you for consultation, inquiring about your services, or requesting quotations for projects they want you to handle.

You’ll never know when prospect clients are peeking into your business’ online profile, so it’s better to be active and productive too online. Help your business grow and improve with social media optimization!

How Social Media Changed Our Lives: Advantages and Disadvantages

/in /by

People love to surf the web, discover new stuff and interact with other people half across the world by using social media. Before you know it, sharing, liking, commenting and posting on the internet has become a part of lives.

It was 2004 when Facebook was launched; it didn’t take that long before it overwhelmed its competitors MySpace, which was launched the previous year, and Friendster, founded in 2002. Long before these big three battled for supremacy, a lot more social media sites were born and eventually shut down or replaced due to the increasing demand of people for newer and more advanced technologies and ways to interact on the internet.

At some point in your life, did you ever stop and think how social media has changed our lives? Whenever there’s an advantage for us on new technologies, there are also disadvantages attached to it.

Disadvantages

Privacy Policies Does Not Cover Everything
Once you make a comment or post a picture of you on the internet, it stays there long enough for other people to criticize you, make fun of you or make copies of your most embarrassing posts and scatter it to other social networking sites.

Vulnerability to Numerous Dangers
Too many social media accounts, too many security settings to oversee. Have you checked yours recently? If you cannot remember when’s the last time you did, do it now! Some people suffer from cyber theft and even bullying because they forgot to change their security settings.

The Easiest Way to Waste Precious Time!
Some people can’t help constantly checking their Twitter feeds or uploading selfies on Instagram. These are dangerous ways to waste time that should have been made for studying or working.

A New Platform for People to Boast and Quarrel
There are times when boasting your achievements or posting photos of the great vacation you had last summer is a good thing, but only to a minimal. Boast too much of everything you have and you will end up with more enemies and two-faced friends than actual friends who care. Remember, there will always be people on your friend’s list who will disfavor your personal business.

Advantages

Reconnecting With Loved Ones
Social media is a great way to help you reconnect and reunite with your loved ones. Some families go their separate ways and live on different countries but still able to remain a family using the power of social networking sites. For others, they’ve reunited with their long lost sibling or parent due to a tragedy long ago or lovers who have gone separate ways but found each other again online and continued their love story.

Getting Hired
Today, a lot of employers are scanning potential candidates using social media. It is a great tool to find skilled professionals! LinkedIn might just be your next opportunity in getting your dream job, or your network of friends on Facebook and Twitter can link you with employers looking for specific skills that you have.

Professional Networking
There will be times in your career that you feel you need an upgrade or seek out a mentor for your professional growth. Social media also offers networking with organizations of like-minded people where you can satisfy your hunger for professional growth.

A Boost in Business
Social networking sites have provided businesses a new way to market their products and services, look for potential customers, and connect with other businesses with the same interests. It even helps newbie entrepreneurs find their niche and help old ones reinvent theirs.

Raise Awareness and Charity
Natural disasters happen all over the world and tragedy is inevitable, but people found a new way to reach out to others and raise more awareness and charity; the clear water projects in Kenya, the donations made for the campaign for Haiti and Japan where millions were moved, those who rushed to donate blood after the Boston Marathon bombing, and to all who helped and assisted the central Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan tore the land. A lot more people became aware and found new ways to help others in need via social media.

Hobbies Just Became Serious!
You’ll be surprised where the best baking recipes comes from, the super unique DIY crafts for gifts, the cheapest fish bait vendor in town, where your love for photography can become a profit, or how you can land the craziest gig using your guitar. You can level up your favorite past time by interacting with people of the same interest online; learn new things while helping others!