Getting Started With Social Media

As a small business owner in the early 1990’s, methods of advertising were not what they are today.  I remember, agonizing over how to most effectively invest the limited business capital we had.  A Yellow Page ad, in our industry (Transportation) was an absolute must, but oh, so expensive.

In order to compete, we really needed a full page ad.  Limited resources, however, allowed us only a half page ad.

It was obviously better than nothing.

Unfortunately, the high costs of advertising, coupled with the drastic changes in the market, led to us having to close that business and get regular jobs, not something that anyone with a true entrepreneurial heart wants to do.

Later, in Real Estate, newspaper ads and direct mail marketing were preferred, along with the more pricey radio and television ads.

Then we discovered the Internet and Internet Marketing.

Suddenly, more and more Realtors had websites.  Virtual tours were popping up everywhere, and a new breed of home-buyer was emerging.  Young, up and coming professionals who had no problem viewing a virtual tour of a home on a website, then contacting the Realtor to see more-or even make an offer.

These exciting changes were not just for Realtors.  Marketing online became a huge, promising, and economical alternative across all industies worldwide.

I’ve seen three major shifts in the ten years I’ve been involved in Internet Marketing.

1.  Google vs. Yellow Page Ads

Internet searches have virtually put an end to conventional advertising like Yellow Pages and Newspaper Ads.  A company without a web presence is miles behind it’s competition.

2.  Blogs vs. Websites

Just putting up a website on the Internet is not enough. Blogs are proven to be significantly more effective for marketing online because of the interaction and engagement with prospects you don’t get with static websites.

Because of the built in search engine optimization of blogs, they climb high in search engine rankings quickly. Plus, they are inexpensive to set up and free to maintain and update.

3.  Social Media

Pepsi Cola pulled out of the 2010 Super Bowl, electing to invest in Social Media Marketing rather than over $1 Million for a 30 second commercial. While many large corporations gladly spend $40,000 per year on a Social Media Manager to handle their accounts, small business owners can capitalize on this type of marketing with little to no investment.

With Social Media Marketing, any business, large or small can quickly and inexpensively market to their prospects and service their existing customers more efficiently than ever before.

Example

An Internet Marketer I know created an ebook and sold it on his blog.  In his marketing he offered,

“Tweet me if you have any questions or concerns”

One day, a customer purchased his ebook but could not download the product.  Frustrated, he went on Twitter and sent a tweet to the Marketer about his issue.  Receiving the tweet directly to his I phone, the marketer was able to instantly reply to the issue, giving immediate, glowing customer support that everyone on his follower list witnessed.

Not only did this savvy marketer successfully deal with one paying customer, but he also displayed excellence, honesty and integrity in business to thousands of warm prospects without tooting his own horn, so to speak.  Plus, Twitter, like all other Social Media Marketing platforms is free to use.

So how do you use Social Media Marketing to grow your business?

1.  Get a blog

I recommend Wordpress and make sure to get a self hosted blog.  Free blogging platforms are ok but for business you want your blog self hosted on your own domain.  This will help you in search engine ranking and allow you to maintain ownership of your content.  If you need hosting, I recommend Host Gator.  They are inexpensive, reliable and their customer service is top notch.

2.  Open an Autoresponder account

As a business owner, you know the importance of staying in touch with your customer base.  The same is true online.  As you get visitors to your blog, you need to be able to capture these leads and market to them over and over again.

For this, I recommend Aweber.  They offer a 30-day, $1 trial.  You can also search on Google for Autoresponders and research to find a service that’s right for you.

Once you set up an account, utilize the video tutorials to create a web form for your blog and for setting up your email campaigns or newsletter.

3.  Open Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube accounts

As I mentioned, these sites are free to use.  Try to create user names for these accounts that represent you or your business – your brand.  Also try to use the same user name for all of them.  Your user names will make up the urls for each service and you want it as relevant to your niche as possible.  This will help you in the search engines.

Take the time to completely create your profiles.  This will give you more credibility as you build your following of prospects.

4.  Link your blog to these accounts

As you sign up for these accounts, there will be places to add your blog.  Add it.  Also, wherever these accounts allow you to link to another account, do it.  For instance, Linkedin will allow you to connect to your Twitter account.  You can have your blog posts automatically posted to your Twitter account and your tweets posted to your blog.

On Facebook, Networked Blogs will allow you to link your blog so your blog posts will show on your Facebook wall for all your contacts to see.  Also, Aweber will allow you to link your Autoresponder to you Facebook and Twitter accounts.

5.  Build your following and start blogging

As you regularly post to your blog and spend a few minutes each day building relationships across these platforms, you will begin to enjoy increased search engine ranking, more traffic to your blog, and in to your stores, resulting in more revenues for your business.

Follow these steps and you are well on your way to quickly dominate your market both online and offline.

If you would like more detailed instructions on how to complete the steps outlined, feel free to sign up for a free, one hour training session where I’ll personally walk you through each step.  Simply fill in the form at the right and secure your spot in the next session.

Cherilynn Stone
Social Media Consultant
www.cherilynnstone.com
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