Social Media You And Small Business
Is This Really For You!
Gone are the days when you could manually network with people and expect to reach a greater audience. The internet has forever changed how people work and how they interconnect with each other.
Social media is now at the front for any method of getting in contact with someone or simply making new connections. If you are still battling it out doing it the old way of advertising in the local paper, radio or television, you are missing out on important and vital pieces of the puzzle.
Getting Involved Is Harder Than You Think
You need to start utilizing Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Blogspot, Tumblr and more if you want to get your information and products out to a wider target audience.
It can seem a bit confusing at first but this article will explain this new trend in networking. Hopefully you will become a master and gain a much broader view of how this medium can work to your advantage
Understanding The Concept And Where It Came From
First you really need to know what social media is
For many, many years there was a limit on media outlets and the information that people received. Prior to this revolutionary way to spread and access information through the internet and social networking groups, people were given information from what is now known as industrial media.
This was in the form of newspapers, television, and even movies. The very term "social media" is a recently new invention.
It has only been in use since around 2004 when several innovative leaders in technology started coining the term. As for what it is, it is a way for people to connect in ways that helps them improve their social standing, their business contacts or even their personal life. It gives people the ability to reach a far greater audience than ever before.
How Can This Form Of Marketing Help My Small Business
Not all social media websites can help your business. Or rather it is how you handle these websites that can make all the difference. Even a website such as myspace.com can help you if you know how to approach it in the right way.
If you feel that the newest recreation of Myspace is not capable of coming off in a professional manner then you may want to consider joining Twitter and then linking it to your own website.
You can also join an online organization that is more in line with your business needs. The right organization and online membership can greatly expand your business and lead you to new customers.
The key to everything is maintaining your website and making it seem professional. It's no good running a campaign on the media sites if you website is incomplete or lacks some professional flare.
What are some of the most popular ways to use social media to my advantage?
One of the most popular ways to use social media to your advantage is through a personal website or a blog. You create a website that is designed to draw in customers or help you network with other working professionals in your line of work.
By constantly updating the information on the website you can keep people interested in what you have to say or what you are offering. And if you use social networking sites such as Twitter you can direct more traffic to your website which, of course, leads to a bigger audience and more interest.
Does Having The Right Contacts Or Friends On My Website Affect How Others View Me?
Let's take for example that you have a Facebook profile that people can view.
You have made some illogical choices of adding cute applications or teens that are putting improper comments on your site. You have to remember that people are not only viewing the material you put but also the material that others put.
You would not have a website devoted to racial equality only to have supremacists as your friends or commentators. You have to really look at the quality of people that you have on your site or are allowed to comment. It may help to have your friend's list private or to not allow comments to show without your approval.
How Has Social Media Blurred The Line
Knowing the difference between what is proper etiquette and what is improper?
Unfortunately social media has blurred the lines between what was once considered proper and what is actually entirely improper. It is quite easy to sit behind a computer and make a hasty response or comment to something that is posted.
The response a person face to face might give is entirely different behind the monitor of a computer screen. It is very anonymous yet there is nothing that can be put out there without someone knowing.
So before you fire off a blog post, tweet or Facebook post blasting your co-worker or boss you may want to think again. There is a good chance it will make it back to them.
Has social media or social networking taken away a lot of privacy?
Social networking and the whole social media phenomenon has definitely taken a toll on a person's privacy. If you put something out on a website, a forum or a blog then you run the risk of anyone you know coming across that information.
There have also been examples of people being fired because of employers looking at the employee's Facebook or Myspace page and feeling that they are not acting appropriately. This is especially true of people that work with the public. They have to realize that their actions are monitored and that people actually do read their status updates or their "twitters."
And there is the very fact that anyone can find you through your email address. It really has become a smaller world courtesy of the internet.
Resources And Tools To Help You Get Started
A great collection of books to help you use social networking to your advantage when it comes to small business.
If so we would really like to hear your successes and failures when using this medium to promote any business.