Graphic and Web Unlimited

Social Media.  It’s not personal its business.

Changing a mindset. We have become accustomed to social media being the go to place to find out all the current gossip on what our friends and family are doing. We take it personally. We see social media as a nuisance and something we don’t want to be bothered with. However if you take a cue from leading companies you will realize that social media can be business and not personal. Every business needs to advertise and every business needs large amounts of people to see that advertising. If you think of social media as an advertising platform for your business then you start to see things in a different light.  Take a look at this page to see your ROI for facebook. http://www.facebook.com/marketing?sk=app_7146470109

Here is one example: Maybelline Canada The cosmetics brand sees high engagement rates using Facebook Ads with close to 10,000 contest registrations for a lipstick giveaway.

Yes they bought advertising and yes they are internationally known and branded.  But think of it this way, with one ad they had 10,000 new registrations. Just one ad!  How much money could that bring to your business? Please don’t get me wrong, I know for a FACT that you do NOT have to purchase advertising to benefit from social media.

Today every business should be using social media to their advantage. Three of the top corporations in America use social media. Exxon Mobile sponsors YMCA on facebook. Chevron Corp. counts on social media to run their “We agree! Do You?” Campaign.  Wal-Mart uses facebook for their “Nice Save” campaign. Small mom and pop companies and even NPO’s such as the Red Cross are seeing the benefits of using social media to reach out to their customers and viewers.  Social media is no longer “the place where your (insert person here) posts intimate things they do”. It’s now become a reputable place for businesses to speak to their customers, discuss topics that are custom tailored to your subject matter and get feedback on your products and services.

The advantages of social media can be staggering! Some of the biggest advantages to social media are free advertising, customer contact and support, brand recognition, reputability and GLOBAL presence and exposure.

Custom Customers. When it comes to your brand and products your social media users are already tailored to your company’s best interest. People will not follow, like or friend you if they are not interested in what you have to sell. This creates a base of viewers that are specifically looking for what you are providing. If you are a company selling ice cream, your viewers will be ice cream lovers. If you are a writer of science fiction, your fans (i.e. viewers/followers) will be SyFi fans. If you are a non-profit, your viewers will be money giving donors. Check out Save the Children fund as an example.

I have  heard a lot of my clients say to me, “But I don’t have TIME for social media!”. To them I have a few comments. You read at least one email today. You may even have run one ad campaign today. You have made one phone call today. What if you were to write one post about your business, adding in a sale or event and post it to your social media circle and website? It takes less time to post to three of your social media networks than it does to drink a coffee  and anymore with CMS websites you can post to your site through email! The benefits are huge.

Advertising the Blogger way. So, I said you do not have to pay for advertising, even though it would make sense if you can. How do you go about making money without paying for ads on social networks? Easy, use the networks already built-in features, simply POST to your network the ad that you would like your viewers to see. If you have followers/friends already and you give them what they are looking for, they will buy your product, review it and post about it. They will send their friends and family your ad, which means they go to your page/website!  You just increased your exposure online through one post!

Every viewer has at least 10 people that they are connected with. Each time a viewer likes your post or retweets your tweet he sends it to all of his friends/family and followers. So if each of those people have at least 10 people they Retweet/like, imagine how many people are going to see your ad. And just so you can see this in action I have created a diagram for you, this outlines three easy steps to advertising with social media. It is based on a website or blog that can be updated regularly. If you are reading this and you cannot update your website by yourself or at least send your designer updates then it’s time to find a new designer that uses the latest technology.

Friends and Followers: They are one in the same. What if you don’t have any of them yet? You post, and post and post some more.  Your website and your pages should be full of useful information that is about the subject that you are authority on.  You also “like”, “friend”, “follow” others who are authorities in your field. I personally follow other designers. Why? Because they are on the cutting edge, they show off their work, they give me ideas and inspire me to do better in my own business. You want who ever follows/friends you to enjoy spending time reading what you post. They need to like you and respect you. This builds your brand online. There is no other way to respectfully gain an audience (yes some companies actually BUY their friends/Followers.).

Don’t bug them. Don’t be one of those companies that constantly posts endlessly to their social media circle. Keep it simple. If you post 20 ads a day no one is going to listen, they will unfriend you quickly. However if you post 20 useful tips a day they will read them and repost them. It’s safe to say that posting twice a week is a good ratio for most people. And don’t always post just ads. They get boring and it makes the viewer feel that, that’s the ONLY reason you are using social media.  They can’t think that or you will loose your credibility with a great number of people. Sadly people like to be mean, so social media can go bad really fast!

Lastly, do not post person information on your business social media networks!  I knew a business owner who constantly told her business network where she was going for drinks or that she was lonely and needed to be with someone! Not only is that not professional it’s downright dangerous!

This article written by Shevon Propst of Graphic and Web Unlimited.  In this article I am using facebook as the basis for my fact finding. However, any social media network applies.