A lot of businesses are not using any sort of social media for their business. Either they are not sure how to market their business on Facebook or some businesses are just too set in their ways to try something new.
If you are trying to convince your boss or even yourself for your own business, you should look at the stats. There are over a billion users on Facebook at this time and wouldn't it be nice to get your business in front of a portion of those users. With that many users, there is surely a few good prospects out there for you.
Pinterest has become the third most popular social media site. It is fun and people who like visual aids, this would be one strategy to use, especially if you have products for sale. The average order is around $80. I know that most of my videos are pinned (shared) more by using Pinterest than when I post them on Facebook.
Using social media is a great way to BRAND yourself and promote "YOU INC." Branding yourself and creating great content is a way to build your business. My specialty is Facebook Marketing and I am branding myself as "The Social Media State Trooper." I am a retired State Trooper and wanted to set myself apart from the other social media specialists. I create great content and engage my fans through questions, pictures and videos
If you have time, just go for it. Pick a strategy and see how it works. It will not happen overnight as it takes time to build your business. Use Facebook Ads to promote your business and get likes to your page. Discover how to build effective landing pages so you can build your e-mail list. Facebook is a great way to generate leads and build your list.
If you are brand new to social media, start off small. Don't go hog wild and try to do all of them as you will get overwhelmed. Build a Business Page, start creating good content (solving a problem), and use pictures and videos. Go into the news feed and write on other companie's wall. This is a great way to get noticed and people will check your page out. Just remember, don't write garbage on other walls, stay within the guidelines and don't spam.
Do some research to find out who your target market is. Weight loss is a huge niche and really needs to be narrowed down. If you are trying to sell to everyone, you are not selling to anyone.
Make sure you have a strategy in place. Are you trying to promote your products, your business or your website. Make an outline or a check off list to help you make a business plan on how to promote your business. What is it that you want to accomplish?
No matter what strategy you use, Facebook or twitter, you will get some bad feedback. How you handle that feedback is going to determine how you will succeed. Keep your cool, and respond with a positive attitude. Make a bad situation positive.
Starting out you may take you some time, but after you get your social media up and running, you will not have to spend so much time a day working on it. There are times where you can schedule your posts by using Hootsuite. But if you use a scheduling software, make sure you go in and respond to questions or statements, as people like the personal touch.
People vary on when you should post. Some say 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.. Don't think you have to post this many times a day, you don't, but studies show these are times that hit all the time zones. As you get going, you will know what is working for you and continue doing it.
You have to be patient. Like I said, it will not happen overnight. You have to work at it to get the results you want. Just be consistent. Consistency is the key to all your online marketing strategies.
If you found this to be helpful, please leave a comment in the boxes below.
To Your Success,
Anita Levesque
http://facebook.com/anitawaltonlevesque
207-694-0314
