Tap The Potential Of Social Media
 By Patrick L. Wynne

Social media has become the rage over the past couple of years as the blogosphere and a variety of different online networking sites have exploded in popularity.

The concept of social media started several years ago with blogging, which paved the way for the launch of such pioneering social networking sites as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

But can social media help boost your business? When used properly, yes.

Social media presents a unique new way for you to communicate and stay in touch with your customers and prospects—and for them to talk with each other about your business. Most people love to tell others about their positive or negative experiences with products and services they buy. Social media gives them a whole new way to do this.

Having a presence in social media may enable your business to tap into new markets by connecting with prospects in different ways. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Write a blog
Every business or self-employed individual today should have a blog. Use your blog to regularly write about current events and developments in your business and industry.

This will help establish your expertise and credibility in your field among your customers and prospects. You can also reuse your blog content:

• In an e-newsletter
• On your Web site
• In a white paper
• In sales letters
• On postcards and other timely marketing materials

Comment on other blogs
Get in the habit of reading other blogs and making comments. Again, you’ll establish credibility and reinforce your image as an engaged, expert business owner.

Get LinkedIn
LinkedIn is basically an online business networking tool that enables you to stay connected with associates and clients, and meet new contacts.

Getting started is easy. Just visit LinkedIn.com and follow the simple directions.

You can ask your connections to provide recommendations for you, showing potential clients that you’re a trusted business contact.

You can also participate in discussion groups that enable you to demonstrate your thought leadership in your particular area of expertise. And you can answer questions posed by other LinkedIn members.

Create MySpace and/or Facebook pages
In effect, these will become online brochures and extensions of your Web site. They can be simple pages with basic information about your company, photos of products, testimonials, etc.

Then link them to your Web site, blog, LinkedIn page and other social media activities.

Coordinate and integrate your efforts
Ideally, all your social media efforts should be coordinated so that they work together.

Your blog entries, for example, should feed into your Facebook status and your LinkedIn pages. Devising a coordinated social media strategy like this will help you and your business stand out from the crowd among today’s tech-savvy and sophisticated consumers.

Social media books
Want to learn more about how social media and help your small business? Check out these books:

• “42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn: Practical Ideas To Help You Quickly Achieve Your Desired Business Success”
  By Chris Muccio, David Burns and Peggy Murrah
  Super Star Press, 2008
• “Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day”
  By Dave Evans
  Sybex, 2008
• “Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online”
  By Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek
  Xeno Press, 2008

(Posted March 2009)

>>More Owner's Manual Articles