You are an online business, and you have the best website you can afford, with regularly updated content, and lots on offer to your potential customers. But, for some reason, you still don’t seem to be drawing in the crowds. It’s a common problem for so many new online businesses.
Ten years ago, you might have handed out fliers, sent spec letters to businesses, and used your brilliant social skills whilst networking at all of the relevant events. But, what do you do when your client is nothing more than a faceless entity hidden behind a computer screen?
Remember those social skills? Have you tried testing them out on Social Networking sites? No?
Then, there is a big world out there, which you are missing out on.
Social Networking websites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the cyberspace equivalent of launch parties, book fairs, festivals, conferences and exhibitions, and unlike the real world equivalents, Facebook et al attract millions more potential clients or comrades, from practically every corner of the globe.
Don’t believe me? According to Facebook’s “Press Room”, out of its 400 million total users, 35 million of them update their status every single day. That means that as you sit here reading this, there are 35 million potential customers sitting waiting for you to show them what you have to offer. Twitter only has 75 million users, with a huge 80% of users never having tweeted more than ten times.
However, a user not tweeting does not have to be a bad thing. This is especially so, when you take into consideration that You Tube make up sensation Lauren Luke currently has over 27,000 people following her, whilst Film Production Company Sony Pictures, has just under 57,000 followers. It becomes pretty clear that whilst people aren’t tweeting very often, they are very keen to follow individuals and companies that they trust and/or believe in.
But, how can Facebook and Twitter be beneficial to your company, in terms of Internet Marketing? Quite easily. Facebook and Twitter allow you to talk more directly to your clients/customers, in a way that is more “human”, and casual. This allows them to connect to you on a more down-to-earth level, and makes you feel more like a person, rather than company name.
Social networking is perfect for announcing new product launches or even products that are development. This is good, because it allows them up-to-date information with what you are doing, and they do not have to hunt for the information, something that a lot of people just do not like doing.
It’s also a good place to find out exactly what your customers want, and how they feel about your products. People are far more likely to comment about a product, in a group discussion, that by going out of their way to fill in Feedback forms. It also allows customers to feel like you appreciate them, and that you want to tell them things, and that you want to hear what they have to say.
