One of the most important things you can do for the success of your online business is to get into the social media circle. If you want to stay on top of the business world, you have to use all the tools available and learn to work them to your advantage.
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This is where social media comes into play. You cannot simply have your business online; you have to get it in front of consumers. Whether you offer a product or service, the quickest and most effective way to let people know about your business is to engage in social media.
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If you don’t know by now what the social media game consists of, let me give you a few examples:
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- Google+
- Pinterest
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These are just a few examples of the numerous social media platforms that you can engage in to get the word out about your business.
Even if you are knowledgeable about the social media arena, it doesn’t mean you are maximizing its benefits. Perhaps you are scared to get started or are unsure exactly how it works.
Here are a few ways people use social media:
> They rarely show up — These people are the least involved.
> They rarely interact — These are the newbies.
> They just watch the action – These are the observers & rarely contribute.
> They click, click, click — These are active users, but lack efficiency.
> They mingle – These are regular users who do a bit of sharing.
> They say, “Let’s roll on!” — These people know where it’s at & use it for all it’s worth!
So where is this headed? Hopefully, this helps you discover some of the strategies for social media marketing. You can have a website, a blog, landing pages, sales pages and social platforms … if the traffic is not there, you lose!
Here are some social media strategies to increase your visibility:
1. Build your brand and promote your product or service. Find a network that will send stories or news of your product or services to reporters such as NewsBasis.
2. Create your own custom shortened URL that will advertise and brand your product, service or name. This could send your brand viral and drive a lot of traffic your way.
3. Develop a Q & A site. When you have a site that welcomes questions and gives answers, you build trust…which goes a long way towards branding you as an expert in your field.
4. Find a professional network, like LinkedIn, where you can connect with other business owners, not only to build a list but also to contribute and learn from other business owners.
5. Encourage and set up face-to-face “meetups.” This is a good way to inform online and off-line people about you and it also helps them understand your product or service.
There are many ways to get your name and brand out to your audience — to build your list, but the most important thing is to take action! Far too many times, a business owner simply kicks back and waits for something to happen. Don’t be one of “them.” Get going and take action today!
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You know I like to hear from you. Let me know if these tips and techniques help with your business branding. Please leave your comments below.
Wishing you continued personal and professional success!
Pinterest is going good after facebook I would say that is the second biggest social web for SEM
Kim: Pinterest is most definitely a HOT spot for businesses/entrepreneurs now! It offers such a good platform to visually connect with followers/customers/colleagues. Pinterest is a fantastic social media tool & I highly recommend adding it to our list of “must haves” for enhancing success! Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a super week!
Hi, Lynn – interesting post:)
I especially like your suggestion to use social media to set up F2F meetings when possible. Too often people either disregard this step completely or only think in terms of building relationships with those from far away.
Some surprising things happen when you reach out virtually to those who you can meet for coffee somewhere in the area – excellent way to enrich and deepen your networking skills.
John
John E. Smith recently posted..“It Is What It Is” … Oh, Really?
So much agree with you John. There really are so many wonderful opportunities to meet people in our own backyards. I have met many awesome business owners and entrepreneurs through my social media platforms that I would have not met otherwise.
Appreciate you sharing your wonderful insight John and glad that you stopped by today. Have a great day!
Lynn Brown recently posted..6 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong On Twitter
I like most of the general ideas. Acquiring a shortened URL is especially important for using Twitter. The one about face to face meet-ups seems real subjective, depending on the nature of a business. Myself, the less I can leave home the better. I do see how something like that could come in handy for something like a book tour for a self-published author.
Peter John recently posted..Dark Oracles
I agree Peter, each business purpose and goals is what will determine if meet ups or any other strategy is best for their specific industry. Thank you for making that point and sharing your insight on this topic. Thank you for stopping by today and look forward to you visiting again soon. Have an awesome week.
Lynn Brown recently posted..6 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong On Twitter
Thanks for your tips, I found them really useful! Using social media to advertise your company is one of the most effective way of advertising! I made a site for a year, and my incomes increased in a great amount!
Sandy recently posted..Stay healthy, stay fit! Summer tips
Sandy: Glad to hear you enjoyed the tips & found them useful. Congrats on the increased income! Social media is definitely a must for business today, allowing you to increase your online presence, make connections & build your client base. Sounds like you are well on your way down the path of success! Thanks for stopping by & sharing your experience using social media. Have a super day!
Hey Lynn, thanks for the great post. Social Media Sites are very helpful for increasing visibility. And all these tips are really very important for consideration. Like your idea of Developing Q & A Site.
SEO…absolutely…the addition of a “Q & A” forum on your site is very popular with clients/customers & can take care of many smaller issues/questions that they might otherwise have to contact you about. I’m pleased that you found the information helpful & that you stopped by & took the time to comment. Let me know the outcome if you decide to implement a “Q & A” forum…I’d be interested to hear how successful you find that option to be. Have a great day!
Really helpful tips, and it is actually what I had been searching for. I just want to get out of stuck, I feel so stressed because of my blog nowadays. I’ve just started my new blog, and I have heard so much about the importance of fresh content etc. But somehow I have lost my motivation, there are too many things to do with a blog. I unfortunately haven’t done anything like this before, so your useful tips could be very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing them!
Sonja recently posted..Yoga für Frauen über 30
So glad to be able to help, Sonja. You’ve taken that important first step of starting to blog, so that’s a good thing! Whenever you feel stuck & don’t know what to write, just think about all the questions or thoughts you had when you were first starting out. There are tons of people who have those very same questions or thoughts and you can be the “messenger.” Write about what’s important to you…what you feel passionate about. The excitement and passion always shines through to your readers. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughtful comments!
Hi Sonja, I am agreed with your points that at time of starting stage its very difficult for every person to understand the SEO tactics and their importance, I’ve also visited your blog on Zoomshare but its doesn’t added anything in it that is not as good. The fresh and unique content is the backbone of SEO but getting that takes time, but we’ve to work regularly for that is also much important. So it is good to add some good stuffs on these blog to take in the way of crawling by SE’s and it may generate good results in future.
Lynn, I like the idea of a Q and A section. That would encourage others to participate more on your website or blog. I would agree with a few of the others that Twitter is #1 but the others are also a must to have a presence as well. I find on Facebook they are a lot of “watchers” where Twitter has a of “doers.” Or could it be the connections I have on the networks?
Lisa recently posted..Triberr Can Really Rock Your Blog!
Oh really good point Lisa! I do agree with you about Facebook being ‘watchers’ and Twitter having more ‘doers’. But both are valuable ways to bring visibility as you point out.
I have done several Q & A’s on Facebook and LinkedIn and I have to say that I do get some really good responses. Generally I am asking questions that provide me with information to the write a blog post or article on. But it is still a good way to bring in traffic and get your name out there.
Always appreciate you sharing your comments and good advice. Thanks Lisa for stopping by and hope you have a great day!
Lynn Brown recently posted..3 Ways Small Business Owners Can Improve Confidence in Business
Lynn, thank you for the great ideas! You intrigued me with the mention of NewsBasics. I’ll have to go an check them out. Social media has a long learning curve. One of the best things we can do take 20% of our social media contacts and drill deep with them to form long lasting relationships, whether as regular commentors on their blogs and sites, or through meetups, and joint ventures. Those relationships will pay off over time, especially if we give with no thought of receiving.
Steve Borgman recently posted..Self Development At Work
Steve…always glad to promote a bit of intrigue! You’re so right about the social media learning curve and…what makes it even more difficult is the fact that technology & trends change in a flash! Guess that keeps us on our toes, right? I really like your comment, “…especially if we give with no thought of receiving.” Spoken like a true mentor & consummate sharer of the wealth
Thanks for visiting & have a super weekend!
Really useful advices and tips, nowadays, caused by the penguin update, the only SEO process which works is the social media channel. Your tips could be useful to increase the traffic to my site, thanks for sharing the useful information!
Katrin recently posted..Ice Age 4: Voll verschoben
Always happy to hear what I share can help others and I do hope these tips will help you gain more traffic to your site Katrin. There have been so many changes with the search engines, hard to keep up and knowing what will work best.
Appreciate you stopping by and sharing your comments. Have a wonderful day!
Lynn Brown recently posted..LinkedIn Connects Business People For Success
Your definition of the users, makes me chuckle.. I won’ t even venture to tell you where I am at!! A great list here for me to use. As I get more decided on what it is that I ‘do’ I can see this will be very helpful. So much to learn.. I do find it overwhelming at times.. Most times!! It is a balancing act!!
Holly recently posted..How Vulnerable Are You Willing To Be?
I’m always glad to bring a bit of laughter into someone’s day, Holly! It’s easy to say, “Don’t feel overwhelmed” — so I won’t! However, I do advise you to focus on just a few social media platforms that you believe/know the majority of your customers/consumers/followers utilize the most. Don’t try & spread yourself too thin because it will become overwhelming & you’ll lose the excitement & genuine opportunity to create meaningful connections. Life is a balancing act & we’re all right there with you…attempting to attain that perfect equilibrium! Thanks for your comments & the link you provided.
Great tips Lynn – and picture me slapping myself upside the head with a ‘duh!” moment as far as the custom URL. I have Pretty Pink Pro installed on my blog but never though of using it as a brand tool. Thanks for the advice and inspiration!
marquita herald recently posted..Believe You’re Not Creative? Think again …
I’ve got the picture in my head, Marquita…and don’t worry, you’re not the only one when it comes to those “duh” moments!
Glad my tips inspired an “ah-ha” moment & that the information will prove helpful in your future endeavors. Thanks for your comments & for the link. Have a great week!
Hey Lynn,
This is a fantastic list of different ways we can utilize social media. I think with social media rapidly growing in different directions it is great to keep ahead of the curve and continue to learn new tips on how to stay ahead.
Continued relationship building is one of the main keys i have learned to have a responsive following!
Great post
Kyle
Kyle recently posted..Google Penguin Update: How To Utilize Anchor Text
You are so right Kyle! The more we can learn on how to utilize social media it will help us grow our business and continue to stay ahead of that curve!
Thank you for sharing your insight on building relationships and how important that is as well. Glad you stopped by today and hope to see you again soon.
Lynn Brown recently posted..What is the Right Keyword Density for a Business Site?
Hi Lynn,
I agree, I think that nowadays there are so many ways to use social media to your own advantage, and that’s from someone who doesn’t use it half of what she should be
That’s right, sometimes I feel that social media does take a lot of time. Engagement takes time and if this was all I did, I wouldn’t be able to do my job
I am yet to find a true balance with this.
Thanks for the great tips, Lynn.
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..Why Are You Blogging?
You are so right! Social media is a balancing act Sylviane. Having the knowledge of which social platform is best for your business is the first step in gaining that balance. That is why I have also shared how important it is to have social media scheduled into your day.
As you point out, we could work the social sites all day long and not have any time for our business. I’ve learned that as you grow your business and experiment with each of the social sites, it helps you develop an understanding of how your business will benefit from social media.
Thank you for sharing your comments today Sylviane, hang in there because I know you will find a balance that is best for you and your business.
Lynn Brown recently posted..What is the Right Keyword Density for a Business Site?
Hi Lynn,
Pretty good suggestions and techniques dear
I just welcome questions from my readers and so on. But custom short URLs and meet ups are things I never did yet. I think building network is really helpful to improve visibility and as once you said, 2 social networks and maximum effort on them could be great rather than sticking to each and every network we find online, no? 
Also contests, giveaways could be really work out to increase engagement and or further exposure
Thanks for the informative article dear
It helps a lot.
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Purchase and Set Up a Custom Domain for Your Blog in Blogger
Focusing on those social platforms that prove to be where your audience is and engaging is the best strategy. Later as your business grows Mayura, you may venture out to other platforms as time permits, but only if it will be one with purpose and benefit to your business. So you have the right ideas Mayura!
Also glad you stopped by and shared your insight and thoughts. Have a great day and please visit again soon.
Lynn Brown recently posted..What is the Right Keyword Density for a Business Site?
One strategy that works for me is using social network to connect with people live either on Google hang outs either off line, I believe in order to ” consolidate” our connections it is a good idea to bring them off line as well….and if there is an issue of distance , communicate with them in groups with tele -seminars or hang outs.
Patricia Gozlan recently posted..Eliminate the Non-Essential and Savor Life!
Really good point Patricia. Social networks will attract and connect you with others and going even further by meeting them offline or to offer special events your audience can attend is another great way to build a wonderful community.
Thank you Patricia for adding to the discussion and bringing to light another strategy to consider. Appreciate you visiting and hope you have a wonderful day!
Lynn Brown recently posted..LinkedIn Connects Business People For Success
I love the way that you classify the ways that people use social media. I see the different types all the time. The biggest thing is to combine ALL of them (show up, interact, join the action, click and maximize!) for an effective strategy. Great content!
Lauren Huston recently posted..My Social Media Rules
Thanks for the affirmation, Lauren! As I mentioned to Mariella, most of us don’t neatly fit into one category/label…we are usually a combination of several “types.” Your comment about “…combining all of them” to maximize effectiveness is what we all strive for — maximizing efficiency = maximizing success! Appreciate you sharing the link as well! Have a fun/relaxing weekend!
Love using LinkedIn to create relationships and then build the relationship offline with a new client.
Andy Nathan recently posted..Have Some PLR Email Content
Absolutely Andy! Using LinkedIn as a “tool” to support/enhance the activity of building personal connections is excellent. As I mentioned to Dewane, “face time” with clients/customers plays a huge role in your overall success…not to mention it is an excellent way to garner even more connections…meet, mingle & network! Thanks for your comment & sharing your link. Have a wonderful weekend!
Lynn,
I really like the “meet ups” idea. It’s a great way to “loop” contacts, or keep them in a cycle between online and offline touchpoints. It’s also great for strengthening relationships for individuals that you may online communicate with online.
Nice tips!
Dewane Mutunga recently posted..How To Provide Value To Customers Instead Of Selling On Price
Your comments are spot-on, Dewane! As important as the online social media aspect is, the value of building personal connections will never fall by the wayside. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs I know spend a great deal of time “socializing.” There are those who might feel this is frivolous or believe it to be a waste of valuable time, better spent with their “nose to the grindstone.” Not true! Professionals who take time to build personal connections realize it is an invaluable investment in their success! Thanks for sharing your link as well. Have a super weekend!
Hi Lynn,
love your categories, I’m not sure in which one I fit but I do try to be as involved as possible.I am still working on my Pinterest social skills and it seems that I don’t have enough time for all this. Thanks for the useful information.
Mariella Lombardi recently posted..US Marine Replaces TRX Destroyed By a Roadside Bomb – The Benefits of Using the TRX Suspension Training!
Mariella: Thanks for your comments! Just as in life, you may not fit into one specific category or label. We all tend to be a combination of “a little of this & a pinch of that.”
You mentioned the time element in your comment…what might help is to invest a bit of time deciphering what social media platforms your customers/clients utilize most & focus on just a few of those. That being said, the visual value, simplicity & popularity of Pinterest can’t be ignored. It is a great “casual” medium to promote your business & build connections. The public not only gets insight into your business but also is exposed to a more personal aspect of who you are…which ties into building those all-important connections. Have a great weekend & thanks for sharing!
Yup- the key point is to DO Something! Great exhortation, Lynn.
Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. recently posted..College Life Today…
Absolutely, Roy! Thanks for the read & affirmation…have a great weekend!
Trying to get the hang of using different social media networks have been such a challenge for a relatively new blogger like me. So far, I found that Twitter has been helping me quite well in terms of bringing in traffic. I’ll try combining this with the custom short link that you’ve suggested. Thanks!
Adeline recently posted..What to Do Before Choosing Your Investment Options
Adeline: At times, the abundance of social media tools can become overwhelming…which to choose…how to best utilize them, etc..
I’m pleased that you’ve decided to try the link provided in the blog. Let me know how it works for you and, most importantly, remember that challenging ourselves is a good thing! It proves that we are learning & growing. Thanks for your comments and have a great weekend!