Social Success in 2010 Part Three – Taking Your Business to the Masses

Over the past decade, the Internet hasn’t just been a space for businesses to make money. It’s allowed people to connect. As we move into 2010, the Internet is now the most important social space on the planet, and social pages are the most powerful pages on the net.

It’s not enough that you’ve got your website, Twitter account and blog. If you really want to succeed, you’re going to have to get out there and take your business to the masses. Social sharing and networking sites are what you’ll need to do that.

Link Sharing

The easiest way to get noticed is to put your links out there. Social bookmarking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon and Sphinn let you share content from your site or blog with millions of other users. If it’s good, users will recommend it. If it’s bad, you’ll sink without a trace. If you want to get your linkbait out there, social bookmarking sites will generate huge amounts of traffic.

However, these sites can be impersonal. If you’re looking to connect with your customers, then there’s only one place to go. The undisputed king of social media websites.

Facebook

If the 2000s were Google’s decade, Facebook is odds on to claim the 2010s for itself. Alexa stats for 2009 show that by the end of the year, the social networking site was viewed more times than the search giant. A staggering 4.22% of page views during a three month period were of Facebook.

You need to get your business on Facebook.

Create a business page, make offers, interact with clients – do everything you can to make your company part of their Facebook sphere. You don’t even need to shell out on sponsored adverts. If you sell car parts, search for motoring groups and join the conversation – whatever products you’re selling, you can find buyers on Facebook. And what’s more, you can use it to showcase your links and your video content. But if you’re going down the AV route, there’s one more social site you need to sign up on.

YouTube

Gone are the days when you needed an expensive TV studio and professional lighting rig to make a video advert. All you need now is a mobile phone, an idea and YouTube.

From the “Dark Mini” and “Compare the Meerkat” adverts to low budget how-to videos, it’s never been easier to showcase your company to viewers across the world. Just pick up your webcam and start filming.

Conclusion

Social media will help your business punch above its weight and gain attention and business. Just make sure you have a plan and set clear goals. To get you started, here’s a draft of a plan for a local café.

• Stage 1 – Twitter.
  Set up Twitter account. Use a Twitter directory to find local people and food bloggers
  Engage in conversation with users – aim to get 200 or so followers
• Send my first Twitter offer: “Free bacon sandwiches for a week to one of my followers! RT this to enter the @localcafe draw!” – run one of these every six weeks or so.

Stage 2 – Blogging & Social Bookmarking

• Register a blog – write a brief introduction post and then an article about the free bacon sandwich offer.
• Set a target of blogging once a month – sharing recipes, cooking tips and any industry news (eg: Daily Mail claims bacon gives you cancer – read our bacon-free breakfast tips!)
• Promote my blog posts on Twitter, Digg and StumbleUpon

Stage 3 – Facebook & YouTube

• Set up a Facebook fan page for the café. Search Facebook for local groups, such as universities, and offer a free sandwich to the first five “fans”.
• Offer a free sandwich for any “landmark” followers – 50, 100, 200, etc – or free delivery to people who quote “Facebook #1” when making a phone order.
• Do an informative “how to make the Local Café Bacon Bonanza Bap” video on YouTube.

Stage 4 – Keeping it all going

• Put aside 30 minutes a day to talk to customers on Twitter, reply to blog comments and talk to your fans on Facebook.
• Keep offering incentives to attract followers and fans – this keeps Local Café in the public eye and attracts visitors.
• Watch as people find Local Café through social media, and pop in for a cup of tea and a sausage and egg sandwich.

It’s that simple. Make a plan, stick to it, and interact with your customers. All you’ll need to do then is stick at it and watch as social media helps put your business on the map.

Social Success in 2010 – Introduction

Social Success in 2010 Part One – Twitter

Social Success in 2010 Part Two – Blogging