Twitter, Facebook or…Justin Bieber? Which Should Your Business Use?
Nicole and I recently attended a social media conference in HWA’s very own backyard — Indianapolis. The conference attendees were made up of mainly “tech geeks” (like me), marketing experts, and the new school of social media gurus.
At 140 characters per topic, we absorbed the value of Twitter, how to step-up our Facebook game, and the importance of video in our marketing mix.
Let’s talk Twitter. Did you know that there are over 10 million Twitter users, tweeting several hundred times a second? In the keynote address, Jason Falls (@JasonFalls) of Social Media Explorer talked about how selling products and services is making a transition from cold calling and hard selling, to building and establishing a level of trust with your leads. Do you want to share a quick, relevant blurb with your masses? Well it’s time to tweet! As Jason said, “Let’s just talk.”
Once you’ve established this relationship, you need to keep interacting with your twitter-disciples, monitoring the buzz you’re generating. With hundreds of tweets every second, imagine how quickly feedback could be generated and passed around. Case in point, I recently read a blog about how a young musician tweeted one lucky (or unlucky) fan’s phone number to his followers. Within a few minutes, this teenager began receiving what amounted to over 26,000 text messages. Thanks for demonstrating the power of Twitter, J Bieber.
Let’s switch gears. Facebook. The social media giant has recently announced that they have reached over 500 million users, and chances are you’re one of them. Does your business have an account? If not, it’s time to create a page for your brand. Did I mention it’s free? You can also run pay-per-click campaigns for a bit of cash – only paying out if your company’s advertisement is clicked. How many companies wished TV advertising worked in this format? Having an active Facebook page will not only help generate business and relationships, but it will also help your SEO rankings. Facebook has a strong search engine reputation, so the more content you share on Facebook, the more likely you’ll be found.
Facebook Places
Facebook has also launched a new geo-location service, Facebook Places. Competing with services such as FourSquare and GoWalla, Facebook Places allows people to “check in” to different venues and let their friends know where they are. How’s this relevant? Think of the promotions you could offer for people who frequent your business. Think in terms of incentives that will get traffic through the front door. Remember: it’s all free!
YouTube and Web Video
Not too long ago, I was doing a bit of traveling and ended up having a cancelled flight. Getting stuck overnight in Philadelphia, I needed a hotel. Long story short, the concierge at the airport recommended a hotel that was $99 a night. Not too bad, but when I looked on my phone for reviews, I realized that it had a one star rating. I quickly changed my mind and found a different hotel.
How’s this relevant? Think about it – I heard about a business and wanted to know more information. Google now allows people to write reviews about a business. YouTube is owned by Google and is the second most searched website. What if your business were to have some videos tagged with its Google listing? What if that hotel provided clips featuring a few different rooms, or the surrounding areas? If the hotel had provided some of that content, I may have been persuaded to book a room, rather than immediately turning away. Google indexes video, so it’s important to tag your video with relevant words.
Where Do I Get Started?
I know this has been a bit of an information overload, so let me give you a few tips on starting your social media campaign.
- Get a Twitter and Facebook account
- Start following a few people on Twitter and try to start a conversation with a couple of them
- Start a blog
- Post press releases
- Look into using social media tools
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- HootSuite
- Contxts.com
- FourSquare
- Facebook Places
HootSuite is a web-based tool that will allow you to manage all your Twitter feeds in one central place.
You can view your tweets, your home feed, mentions and direct messages.People can text a name to ’50500′ and receive your business information. Their information will be shared with you and you’ll be able to contact them.
Users can check into your venue and find other people nearby.
You can run specials, for frequent customers. For instance, every three “check ins”, you can receive a free cup of coffee.For all smartphone users and iPhone users, the Facebook application allows users to check in to different venus and tag people they’re with
WordPress.com and Blogger.com are great resources to start. For more advanced users, create your own WordPress blog and give it your own look and feel. It’s all free and it’s simple to set up
Try and blog at least two to three times per week.
Press releases are a great way to share what’s going on with your company. New products, new services, etc.







