Become a Social Network Guru And Grow Your Business

There’s no need to be overwhelmed by the Social Networking phenomenon. Instead get excited about the possibilities.

If you’re feeling this whole social networking shebang is too much to handle, I’d like you to take a different attitude to it today.

Yes that’s right, look at it like you’re a kid in a candy store and you have all these new and exciting things before you to choose from.

I’ve found that, when used properly, the myriad of tools out there can be amazingly powerful for you, and your business. As a result I’m constantly finding the most effective ways to not let it take away from my daily work but maximise the time spent on them.

I’d encourage you to do the following if you’re not already (depending on your business)

1. Get LinkedIn

With more than 45 million users representing 150 industries around the world, LinkedIn is a fast-growing professional networking site that allows members to create business contacts, search for great employees for your team, and find potential clients.  You have the ability to create your own professional profile that can showcase your skills & expertise, your business and your special sauce!

I’d recommend setting up a group if it’s relevant too, it’s a great way of connecting with your customers or audience, starting discussions and getting leads. At the very least join groups that relate to your business and background and start listening.

2. Put your best Face on

Love it or hate it you can’t afford not to be on Facebook, especially since they hit 300 million users this month. Facebook is simply the best platform for reaching customers, as well as using it to stay connected with friends the world over, and they’re in the midst of transforming the way businesses interact with their customers.

Facebook have mastered the art of the Viral expansion  loop- It’s a type of engineering alchemy that, done right, almost guarantees a self-replicating growth: One user becomes two, then four, eight, to a million and beyond.
It’s also the biggest conversation going on real time that you can spend 5-10 minutes monitoring each day, and gain really valuable insights on your customers for free!

3. Fly by the Tweet of your pants

Tacky though that may sound, you should have a Twitter account. I have to say I initially did not see the value in Twitter. People followed me who I didn’t even know, others talked about what they were eating and i really did not get it. However, since then I’ve made some amazing connections and created valuable conversations that have lead to personal or business gains for both parties.

You can ask questions and get great answers, and you can connect your updates and business activity back to Facebook, LinkedIn, your website, blog and more.

Think of it like you’re in a forest listening to all the birds’ calls. It’s one huge conversation and you want to listen to those that tweet the loudest, or have the prettiest bird songs, or the most fascinating sounds. These are the nuggets of gold that will help you on your business journey.

4. Start blogging

Once again this depends on your business model, but there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t be writing your story. Your customers would like to know more about you – especially if you have interesting things to say.

Tell them about the latest product, feature, or service you’re offering, or promote a competition or event you’re running. If you want their opinion you can ask for it – either feedback or testimonials. It makes you and your team real. If you don’t like writing ,get someone else to do it for you.

5. Create a catchy website

These days almost every type of business can benefit from a website. It does not need to be super fancy, costly or have flash animations to be effective. Whilst a one page static brochure is not massively useful, it’s better than nothing.

These days most people I know expect a company to have a website that proves they’re credible. Having valuable content, a great description about what problem your company addresses and the solution you provide ,can only be of benefit to growing your business.

Using all the above tools means you can integrate each and every one to create one fantastic mega tool with which to promote your business and grow it. Being `online’ is one of the most effective ways to market your business.

It’s also, on the whole, low cost and has the ability to reach a massive audience quickly and effectively. You will need to invest time and effort but that’s a small price to pay for happy customers!

Make sure you visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter too!

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