5 Tips to Grow your Business Using Social Media
By Rieva Lesonsky
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It’s not enough just to have created a Facebook fan page and Twitter account. You have to actually use these tools to promote your business, or you’re missing out on a valuable marketing opportunity. While Facebook seems to work best if you target consumers, while Twitter works for both consumers and B-to-B sales, most customers expect you to be active on both platforms. Here are some tips to help you leverage your social media activity.
1.Show up every day. Although you don’t want to overburden your customers with too many postings, it’s important to show you’re active everyday of the work week. Are you running a special this week? Want some feedback on what your customers think of your new service or product? Send a shout out to a great client who made your day? Make a point of posting at least one interesting thing daily so customers will want to check in.
2.Make it worthwhile. Post a special promotion code for Twitter followers or give out a free item for customers who “Like” your Facebook page. Own a restaurant? You can also tweet about the daily special.
3.Be timely. Think about the time of day you tweet or post. Post too early or too late and many people will miss what you have to say. If you’re highlighting a food item, try and tweet near the lunch or dinner hour. Any holidays coming up? Make sure you post last minute seasonal specials.
4.Get familiar with helpful apps. Helpful new applications for Facebook and Twitter seem like they’re issued almost daily—and many are business-oriented. Do a search on applications for Facebook and Twitter, read the reviews to see which really work, and then experiment with them to see if they are truly helpful.
5.Don’t flake out. Social media is time consuming (and can be addictive). As a business owner, if you don’t feel you have the time to make a good effort, delegate the tasks to someone else. The point of using social media is to make sure customers see your business as dynamic.
BizSuccessTips Editor Rieva Lesonsky is founder and CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company. A nationally recognized small-business expert, Lesonsky has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and numerous local and national television programs. Read more of her insights at www.SmallBizDaily.com
