In social media, it’s not what you know or who you know as it was in the past, rather it’s who knows you. So how do you get known? In the business world, the use of social media for marketing purposes is key to success in today’s society. We have all the tools at our fingertips; LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to mention a few, each free of charge.
Here are a few guidelines explaining how to effectively promote your business through the use of two of the most popular media’s, Facebook and LinkedIn:
1. Create A Profile
Creating a profile (or Facebook page) is the first step in successfully promoting a business. It’s crucial to have a complete and professional profile free of clutter and easy to navigate. After all, a first impression is often the most important. There is nothing like reading a profile which is full of grammatical and spelling errors. I recommend using a word processing program to easily correct errors.
2. Reach Your Target Audience
After you’ve successfully created your electronic business card on LinkedIn, it’s time to start building your Connections. The easiest way is to import your contacts through your current e-mail provider. This allows you to add people you know who are current members. You may also search for users through specific search criteria such as: colleagues, classmates, common interest, etc.
For Facebook users, it’s a little different ball game. Your challenge is to get others to “like” your page. In other words, become a fan. A few strategies to gain more ‘likes” are:
1. Ask friends and family to like your page This is a great start to getting noticed. When a user “likes” a page, it shows up on their news feed. This allows friends of that user to see what page their friend has “liked,” and in return, a new person may “like,” or become a fan of your page.
2. Post regularly and encourage comments
Updating your status and posting links or pictures shows up in your fan’s news feed. If a fan comments on a post or picture, this will show up in their news feed, and may lead you to more potential page “likes.”
3. Advertise – Facebook is like an advertising billboard allowing you to link your companies website to your Facebook page. If you have the funds, buy an ad. Unsure about how to effectively use a paid ad? Check out the tremendous amount of literature and resources available.
4. Leverage The Power Of Your Network
Take full advantage of the provided tools within each of the social networks. It’s extremely important to consistently keep your connections and page fans updated on your products, promotions, events, etc.
Start or join a group to get your name out there. Participate in discussion boards or forums. Post blogs and link them to your LinkedIn or Facebook profile. If you follow these few steps, and utilize the tools available, you will be off to a great start in promoting your business.
Be known! Use the tools around you, because there is no rule to how many you can use.
