Are you still wondering why you need to get involved in Web 2.0 or how social networking will help your business? We’ve been asked a few more times since creating this website, so we wanted to take this opportunity to clarify the relevancy of social media to your business or brand, for those who feel uninformed and for those who still wonder why.
Stop worrying about the technology aspects and realize that you have a business and need to share it with others so you can obtain customers and sales. Few people ever succeed by hiding their business from the public. So start telling your story about the great widget you invented, the new ice cream flavor your selling or the rising star that just joined your business.  Have pride in what you do and share it with the masses.
Social media is not just for telling people that you’re standing in line at Starbucks or re-connecting with your old camp friends—these are true business tools!
Social media provides both a public relations and marketing function.Â
Access to most of these sites is free and they permit you to reach an audience through a different communications vehicle. They are portals to a different world, a larger audience of prospective customers, or even the preferred method of communication to some of your biggest fans.
Those of us already involved in marketing communications understand the theory of: message, messenger and message delivery vehicle. However, if you don’t, here is some advice to guide you.
Social media provides you the ability to connect with a new audience or re-connect with your exiting fans. It can replace your on-the-ground outreach to the bridge club, economic forum, or local chamber meetings. Through these portals you can:
- share ideas on how your product provides a solution that thousands of people are already seeking.
- educate the public about the benefits of your business.
- inform the uninformed regarding the ills of the world.
- collaborate on a means for improving a song.
- network with your customers and gain their insight into how to improve upon your customer service so you can actually increase your bottom line.
- build a fan club of customers who are each happy to tell their 100 or 200 closest “friends†about your product, business, new website, brand or non-profit organization.Â
We call this viral or word-of-mouth marketing.Â
If used correctly and sparingly, you will find ways to increase your ROI through social media—guaranteed! Just find the people with the most common interests. Educate and inform them. The rest will take form on its own.
In fact, there is no better means for promoting your brand than through third-party, unpaid testimonials. The power of social media is realized through the thousands of testimonials that can be provided by your faithful “friends† or “fans†who may do more to evangelize your brand than you can do yourself. In the web 2.0 world, results may only take minutes, not weeks like other forms of media.
These “friends†may be willing to write a traditional testimonial about the great feature of your product or the terrific customer service they received. However, sales may simply be derived through the membership to your network by one or more people known to a third person,  that may cause that third person to gain interest in you and then share it with their online community. Some of these fans may originate with your family and old camp friends, but if they are legitimate praise, then you are on your way to success in the social media realm.
After all, if you’re not there telling your story, then how can you count on others to do it for you?
First off, if you own your own business or work for a company that is not involved in Social Media by now, you might as well find a new job.
As the Founder / CEO of http://www.StudentsOffCampus.com, Social Media is our key to word of mouth marketing. With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, aSW and a plethora of other social networking sites StudentsOffCampus is growing day in and day out.
As a Realtor, social media is 90% of my business which is why I am one of the 5% of Realtors making 95% of the money. With the click of a button I can send my listings to millions of people across the country and even internationally. Many realtors are struggling in a market like this but with the right brains and usage of social media, there are endless ways of finding clients.
What really stands out to me in this blog post is the statement:
“These “friends†may be willing to write a traditional testimonial about the great feature of your product or the terrific customer service they received. However, sales may simply be derived through the membership to your network by one or more people known to a third person, that may cause that third person to gain interest in you and then share it with their online community. Some of these fans may originate with your family and old camp friends, but if they are legitimate praise, then you are on your way to success in the social media realm.”
After all your friends, family, co-workers and others in your circle of influence are who you need to brand your name. Other ways are still effective such as TV, Radio and print but Social Media is the key to evangelize your brand at such a minimal cost. There is no other way to educate the public with your ideas, communicate with your customers promptly, build a fan base of 1,000,000+ and expand your business like an epidemic without the use of social media. With BrandsManagement20.com you can secure your brand, spread it exponentially across the world and receive the ROI you deserve.
Comment by Sean R Casper — September 2, 2009 @ 7:53 pm