Image via Wikipedia
Many small business entrepreneurs are very excited to have an online presence, but they’re missing the mark when it comes to taking advantage of social networking sites to help brand their name and increase awareness for their products and services.
In an offline store, it’s easier to cultivate a relationship with your customer – as soon as they walk in the door. Assuming you’ve hired amicable sales staff, they’ll be there to put a face to the company name, to extend a handshake and friendly smile, and offer to meet the needs of the customer personally.
The problem with online sales is that it’s set up in a very impersonal way. Even with advanced media technology like audio files, a picture of you as the business owner, or a whole video spiel, the visitor knows the presentation isn’t just for him or her – it’s for anyone and everyone who visits your sales page. And if they have questions, they have to reach out to a help desk or contact form.
You have to branch out from your website and venture into social networking sites. Take advantage of all of the social media available to you. Become a peer to your target audience, and not just some company who’s looking to make a sale off of them.
Even top brand names with an establish fortune in sales and the best team of marketing executives in their pockets are utilizing social networking sites to foster a relationship with consumers.
IBM and Sun MicroSystems have blogs where they build a fan following. Starbucks polls its customers to find out what works and what doesn’t. Burger King made Facebook users sacrifice (delete) 10 friends in exchange for a free whopper – it was a huge hit!
Zappos dominates Twitter by posting neat facts and entering into microblogging 140-character conversations with their customers. Comcast uses Twitter as their customer service help desk of sorts – letting everyone in the timeline see just how responsive and concerned they are to cultivate a good customer service reputation.
Graco invites its customers to submit pictures on the social networking photo site Flickr, which it integrates with their company blog. And Dell? Well Dell does it all – from Facebook to Twitter to blogging.
As a small business owner, you want to look at what methods larger companies are using and employ the same tactics – especially when you can do it without having to shell out a single penny for the same amazing return on your investment of time.
In part two of, “Are You Making the Most of Your Socialization Strategy,” I’m going to give you ten tips that can help you interact with your online audience in a way that sends your news viral, helps you develop an interpersonal relationship with your prospects and customers, and increase your conversion rates dramatically.
