Social Networking for Small Business - Creativity And Innovation ...

If you own, manage or promote your small business, have you joined a social network or two? What results have you seen from joining a social network for your business? Simply put, has it been worth your while? We are talking about social networks which are external for your small business.

There are many social networks to consider today of entrepreneurs! What network works best for your company? What criteria would you use, as you evaluate social networking that helps you boost your business?

Here are the top three reasons why you should get started on a social network or two for your business:

1. Get more prospects and customers - Ask yourself, why your small business does any marketing at all? What is the primary reason for having a company website? Where do you find your prospects? How do you convert your prospects into real customers? A social network must ultimately result in driving more leads for your business. Although the lead funnel may not happen overnight, it must happen within weeks to months. There is a common misconception that when a business has more followers or fans, it will drive more sales. The quality of contacts matter the most! Your business may have thousands of followers, but very few may be interested in buying anything. How would you drive quality leads? Social Networking is not a get rich quick game. Rather, it takes time and patience to build a real following (unless you are an established brand or celebrity such as Coke or Lady Gaga). Be real on a social network! Share expert information and insights. Provide free stuff, discounts, coupons or loyalty points. Keep your readers intrigued with quality information. The more you stay true, the more prospects and customers you will garner, eventually! ?

2. Increase customer loyalty - This by far has been the biggest claim to fame for small business social networking. A social network brings you closer to your customers and gets them engaged. In some cases, your customers may get too close! On the one hand, your business can cleverly leverage social networks to provide better customer service, get proactive customer feedback, obtain recommendations, and even get customers to share great ideas. However, if you open yourself for customer service, get ready to hear an earful. Customers won't shy away from sharing their negative experiences over and over again publicly. Hear them out! Be a great listener. Apologize. And follow through by providing excellent customer service. Turn that negative customer experience into a positive one! An irate customer who gets great customer service can become a happy and loyal customer for life. Icing on the cake: Customers see that you care!

Now that your small business has opened this new social network channel for providing transparent customer service, stage two will include asking these customers for feedback on everything... for instance, a new marketing campaign and asking them to vote for the one they really like, or a new product feature or enhancement and hearing their thoughts. The loyal customers would be more than happy to share favorable recommendations and testimonials. The unhappy customers will likewise share negative views. Be ready for both! The goal for your local business is to get more positive reviews; at least four stars or better. Better the reviews and ratings, better the potential of attracting new prospects. Finally, receptive customers will likely share new ideas about your brand, current products, competition, and trends. Social Networks can act as great vehicles for increasing customer loyalty, and extracting maximum value from your customers. ?

3. Become The brand - A social network is quite possibly the biggest brand equalizer. It sure is great to have the brand and following of a Nike or Starbucks; but, by the same token, a greater brand means even greater scrutiny. You are always under the microscope of corporate social responsibility, and what you think, say and do is analyzed 24/7 by the press, customers, competition and everyone at large. Say or do one bad thing, and your brand gets a huge hit! And in most cases, an irreparable one. On the other hand, if you are a small, niche brand, the social network can do wonders for your business! You can become the most relevant brand for your market by doing the things that matter most for your customers, partners, suppliers, and the community. How you become The Brand? By doing good business. By delivering quality service. By sharing profits. By helping good causes. By caring for your community. Each good action that you undertake adds to your brand value. These actions will transform your brand into the most powerful brand in the marketplace. It takes time to build that brand, and become the word-of-mouth brand that resonates with Kleenex, FedEx or WebEx. Sharing and Caring go hand in hand with Networking. Brand prominence can't happen without investing into planning, goal setting and executing, and staying the course. Hiccups will happen. However, if you follow the best practices of delighting your customers over and over again, you can establish a strong local brand presence, one that customers will remember and recommend.

What social network can do all of the above for your small business? LinkedIn is great for professionals, Twitter works for celebrities and big brands, Facebook is amazing for consumers and friends, Yelp is superb for reviews and retailers, Google Plus is great for getting that jump start, YouTube is tops for business videos and stories, Foursquare is great for checking in, Pinterest gives you an online pinboard, and the list goes on...

If you are a small business that wants it all, a great business profile, a place to promote your products and services, offer latest deals, find new customers, make new connections, and boost your brand, take a look at Ogoing. Ogoing is the fastest growing social network for small business. Check out Ogoing today, and turbo charge your social media.

Source: http://creativityandinnovation.blogspot.com/2012/02/social-networking-for-small-business.html

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