Back to Basics – The Case for Business Social Media

Social Media will play an integral part to business in 2012 and as we’re at the beginning of what’s going to be an

Social Media for Business

incredible year, what better time to makes sure that you’ve got your Basics right?

If you were in business at the time, did you recognise the importance of the internet when it was first introduced?  Do you think you would have?

What about mobile phones?  Do you remember when it was just the “fancy” that needed those?  They weren’t for your every man.  Now we can barely get by without our Smart Phones.  Social Media is no different.

The internet and the introduction to the World Wide Web has changed how we do business across the globe, I don’t believe any one could argue with that.  It has become such a part of our every day life that it’s hard to imagine life without it.  But it only began to become popular in 1990!  And boy has it changed and advanced so quickly since then.

It’s opened up incredible opportunities and has allowed a wealth of information (which in itself brings it’s own problems) to become freely available to all.  From the press of a few keys and a couple of clicks of the mouse, shoppers can be spending their money with your business or anywhere in the world.

But with all this “noise” on the web, how are your customers going to find you?

Traditionally you can:

• Advertise, there is an array of advertising options on the internet
• Make sure that your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is top notch so that customers will find you on the first page of Google – the proverbial Holy Grail – and other such search engines

Both of which require money (in many cases A LOT of money) and don’t necessarily guarantee you the returns you might be looking for.  Especially if your business is in a highly competitive field, where there are a lot of other businesses advertising and spending on experts to get them to page one on Google and the likes.

To be effective in both your advertising and your SEO it helps a lot if you’re an expert in these fields.  Most business owners are experts in their own fields – not advertising on the internet or ensuring their meta tags and keywords are fully optimized.

So what can you do, how can you level the playing field?

Enter Social Media

What’s the first thing most people do when they’ve been introduced to a new company?  Look it up on the internet!

Is your business where you want it to be?  Can your customers and potential customers easily find you on the internet?  If they can, when they find you do they know how you can help them?  Can they build a relationship with you?  Are you bringing real value to your customers and building loyalty?  Do you know what people are saying about your business, are they saying anything? Do you like what they are saying?

If the answer to any of these questions is No, then this is exactly where social media plays a role in your business.  If you’re concerned that Social Media is for the technical savvy only then relax, it’s old school rules really, Napolean Hill could teach you.

 Social Media Statistics now show that business that use Twitter get 5 times more leads than those that don’t. 

Is that really a strategy that you’re going to ignore while your competitors are out there using these effective methods?

If you want to know more about how Social Media can level the playing field for your business and engage with both your existing clients and new ones, drop me a line bridget@bridgetgreenwood or enter your details on that Pop up that you keep closing.

Let me know your thoughts on both this post and your thoughts on Social Media for business, and remember if you like it, I’d love it if you’d share it.