As a small business owner, your job is to get as many customers as possible. Social networking is a big part of this. This is where you meet as many different people as possible, pass out business cards, and spread the news that you are open for business and you’re ready to accept new customers. But you can only meet so many people and you can only hand out so many business cards.
Advertising on Social Media Sites
Another way you can advertise your business is to utilize the ever growing social media phenomenon. Social media marketing is the best way to get the word out about your business to attract new customers. With the internet spanning the globe, and reaching millions if not billions of people, if your business isn’t using online social networks, you as a business owner are seriously behind the times.
Social media describes websites that bring others together, no matter where they live. A few popular sites include Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and more. To get a full list, you’ll have to do your homework. All it takes is getting online to find out just how many social marketing opportunities there are out there. To promote your business on these social networking sites, you’ll have to create profiles, describe your business, post pictures if applicable and anything else you would like to advertise or promote.
Keep It Simple
To attract as many customers as possible, you’ll need to keep it simple, and just give enough information to cause potential customers to want to contact you to learn more. You don’t want to give everything away, such as specials or prices. Have people get in contact with you, or have them visit your website where they can learn more. The purpose of social media marketing is to reach as many people as possible, thus increasing your chances or drumming up as much business as possible.
Social Networking and Relationship Marketing
Once you’ve signed up for the social networking sites, it’s now time to get your business out there to the masses. Start developing relationship with your target audience. By becoming friends with people on Facebook, or having followers on Twitter, for example, your business and your message are going to reach more people than you ever could have with just word of mouth and business cards.
With the internet so popular, and most people doing their business online, you’re doing business and yourself a disservice if you’re not on one or more of the many popular social media sites out there. It may seem time consuming at first to create many profiles, advertise on each profile and then network your profile out to others; but the hard work you put in will reap benefits beyond your wildest dreams.
