Well, this is the last of the blogs on relationship building using social media and my discussions about why a business should engage in this important online marketing tool. This week I want to wrap everything up and try to put it into a nice neat package for you with some GREAT downloads to help you if you choose to begin a lead generating plan using social media.
During the first week I discussed how social media can be used to build relationships and gave you some links to a myriad of social network sites. The second week I discussed three reasons why you should personally meet your connections. Last week, I talked about watching out for your reputation online and how we can avoid/handle having our reputation trashed online.
Finally, this week I want to give you some tools for learning how to make the best use of the top social media sites, Linked-In, Facebook and Twitter. Many small businesses are so busy doing what they do best that they simply don’t have the time to put into managing social media consistently…and that IS the key. You won’t get much out of your online campaigns if you don’t post consistently. There are tools to make that task more manageable if you don’t want to hire someone to take on that marketing activity for you.
Marketing your business is not at all like it was 5 years ago. Consumers are busy and need to save time wherever they can. They begin their searches for goods and services online rather than using the gas to run from store to store looking for the exact item they want. And they want to save money. And what better way to compare prices than online, at their desk, kicking back with a cup of coffee?
Your market also wants to look to you to be educated. Make your website educational. Give them content. Change the content regularly. Be innovative, creative and interesting. Would you do much talking to a person at a networking event who could only talk about one topic…himself? Relationships are give and take so make your web content interactive when you can and try to provide captivating content.
To help you get started with online marketing if you’re not already doing it, I’m providing a link to a very helpful download that will give you the tools you need to get started with a successful campaign. Here you can download a social media guide that will tell you want you need to know about lead generation on the top three SM sites. So check it out and I hope I have provided some useful information during this month of relationship building.
Starting in March, my topic each week will be on building or finding great content for your website. Good content is key for creating a website that attracts the search engines. Hmmm…another great relationship…content and search engines. Hope you’ll check out my March series and I hope this series was useful for you.
