How do I attract more customers? As a business owner, chances are you have asked yourself this question many times. A recent Citibank survey found that 40% of small business owners intend to use social media networks to market and expand their business in 2012. It’s understandable if you are a little hesitant about getting started. To help calm some nerves, here are a few of the top social media networks for businesses to use.
Image via CrunchBase
With over 845 million users, Facebook is a huge community of potential customers that you need to be able to connect with. Start by creating a business page to share your story and begin building your brand online. Make sure to set up your notifications to email you when someone has engaged with your brand. This way you can monitor and join in the conversations with your fans.
Tip: A Facebook profile is must have for any business, its user base is too large for you to ignore.
Google+
Google+ wordmark (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Even though Google’s social network hasn’t created much buzz doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Google+ could be considered the most powerful yet underutilized social media network to date. Jump on it early; as it grows you’ll start seeing the benefits.
Tip: Google’s Search plus Your World feature offers a tremendous opportunity for customer referrals through personalized search results.
Image via CrunchBase
Twitter is a great tool for instantly engaging with your customers. Are you running a limited time special? Send a tweet. It is a unique type of social network so check out these Twitter basics as you get started. Be sociable, interesting, and genuine when connecting with your followers as well as following them back.
Tip: With the use of smart phones Twitter conversations often take place in real time. So if possible be ready to respond right away.
Deciding which key social media networks to participate in is a big step. I would recommend developing a social media guideline to focus your online business activities. Building your online presence will take time; just like building your business did. Tools like Hootsuite will help you make the best use of your time.
Many businesses are starting to see the advantages that utilizing these social media networks offer. Don’t let these advantages go to your competition, get started now.
About the Guest Blogger:
Grant Tilus is an Inbound Marketing Specialist at Rasmussen College. He is responsible for creating superior content and blogging about different degree programs ranging from Human Resources and Organization Leadership to Internet Marketing. Feel free to connect with Grant on Twitter and Google+.