Remember this game? It’s time to play!
Which of these pictures represents something completely different from all of the others?
If you chose LinkedIn as the one that does NOT fit in, you’re right!
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about how to use social networking to promote business. But before we can even talk about that, it’s important to be very clear about what social media is not.
Social Networking Sites Are Not Ad Space
You’ve worked hard on (or paid well for) your marketing copy. Maybe you use it in ads, postcards, yellow page ads, pay per click and e-mail blasts. But social media will never fit into the category of places for you to distribute well-crafted marketing messages.
It’s tempting to see status updates as a wonderful place to display your marketing messages. Lots of people do. But just because someone else runs the social media aspect of their marketing campaign off of a cliff doesn’t mean you have to.
Social Networking IS A Virtual Version Of A Face-To-Face Interaction
Imagine yourself in a room with your customers and prospects. What do you talk about? Do you spout memorized marketing copy to them? Probably not. In this room, you’re essentially doing PR, customer service and lead nurture marketing all in one. In a business environment, that’s what social media can be used for at its best.
Examples Of Human-Sounding Status Updates
You can be human and promote your business at the same time. Remember, if they have any relationship with you at all, they already know what you do. They’ve probably seen your postcards. Here’s your chance to show that you’re forward-thinking, considerate and an upstanding member of your community. Here are a few ideas to get you started thinking in a new direction:
- If you’re B2B and serve a particular kind of business, tap into their industry news and share interesting articles with a short comment about why you think they’d like to read it.
- If you’re attending an event or reading a book that’s provided you with new insights on a problem you solve for clients, share short tidbits of that knowledge to let them know they’re always on your mind.
- If you have a store front, check the local paper. Touch your customers’ sense of community spirit by giving kudos to a local hero or charity.
- Give advanced notice about a new product coming in.
- Offer up unsolicited solutions to every-day problems. For instance, if you sell technology-related services, send them info on local charities that help recycle old monitors and printers.
