It’s incredible how quickly social networking has become so integrated in our lives, but a majority of people do not use it to its full potential. Using social networking to help grow your business and allow you to be successful is pretty simple and inexpensive compared to other forms of reaching out and advertising.
There are many benefits to using social networking to reach out to current and potential clients. Since computers and automated systems have taken over a majority of the customer service process within companies, it’s a major benefit to show that you are still a REAL PERSON working with your customers. Social networking is a superb way to let your clients know that you are a real person and to interact with them.
Interacting with clients through social networking allows them to feel that they are getting quality one-on-one attention. Psychologically, people want to feel that their needs are being met and they are valued by others around them. With social networking, you can build those relationships with your clients and are able to show that they are worth your time and energy.
Many people are on Facebook and Twitter (and other social networking sites), so take advantage of that. Don’t rebuild the wheel; use the networks that already exist. Inserting your name and your business into a network that already exists and functions successfully will save you a lot of frustration and energy.
Another major advantage is that you are able to just post a status (or even a tweet, which is 160 characters) to reach out to your entire network at once. A lot of people even have their social networks connected on their phones, so you will be able to reach them at any moment in time, no matter where they are. With a website, you will have to have someone who understands HTML coding/Wordpress (or something similar) and it takes a lot of time to update every time there is a change. It doesn’t take much time at all to write a sentence or two and send it to your entire network at once.
There are so many types of social networking and so many ways to use them. I have already talked about Facebook and Twitter, which are the more popular forms of social networking. Another way to incorporate social networking is to make a blog page. You can write articles relating to your business and/or industry that would be beneficial to your potential and current customers. It is a great way to show up in search engines and spread your name to more people.
You can also link your different social networking outlets to each other, so people are able to just click on a link and go from your Twitter account to your Facebook to your blog to your website, etc. A blog is a great way to compliment your website. Websites tend to stay the same because it takes a lot of time and effort to change them. It is not cost-effective to be changing it on a daily or weekly basis. Having a blog gives you the opportunity to give a current update on different things you are doing or share your thoughts on particular issues relating to your business/industry.
Since so many people already use social networking, use it to your advantage! Take the time to initially set up your different outlets and to update them regularly. Putting in that little extra effort will help to set you apart and allow you to stand out to potential clients.
