Chitika

onsdag 28 oktober 2009

Are You Expecting Social Media To Help You Sell?

By Michael Fleischner

I often get asked about Twitter and its role in marketing. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter seem to be interesting sites, but can they be used to build your brand or help you sell more? I believe they can as long as you keep these strategies in mind.

Social media is all about building a dialog with like minded people or people who are in your target audience. Social media has impact when it is focused on the market you serve. If you are in shoes and you're trying to build a following in the area of automotive, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Start with a plan. If you want to use social media for marketing and promotional purposes, you really need to have a plan. Starting to post or profile is a great idea but certainly not enough for online success. To succeed you should define objectives, resources, and responsible parties. Doing so improves your chances of success dramatically.

Share what you know. Each of us has an area or discipline that we know something about. If you have a hobby, career, or area of interest, then focus on sharing what you know with others. By focusing your efforts on what you know best, your passion comes through and keeps others engaged. This creates more value for your followers and keeps them coming back.

Be consistent with your communications. Speak with your audience on a regular basis. Better yet, create a dialog and conversation around specific topics. This ensures that your conversation is meaningful and valuable. Its always a good idea to solicit topics from your audience. What you share must be relevant to their day to day needs.

Invite others to participate. By inviting others to participate in your subject matter, you can create meaningful conversation. If those who are interested in your topic have an opportunity to participate, they feel a sense of ownership and want to give more. Social media is all about conversation that is two ways. Solicit topics and questions from your audience and keep them engaged.

Stop selling. Something that I see on a regular basis is direct selling happening on social media websites. However, what these individuals don't realize is that nothing turns off individuals more than being sold. Rather, they want to learn about a subject area and choose products and services on their own after research, recommendations, and reasoning. Don't use social media to sell directly. Rather, use social media to build a following. Once you have proved value, others will look to follow you and the products you use or try.

Social media can be a very powerful tool for promoting your product, service, or brand. But be careful. If social media is misused, it can turn off your followers. Unfortunately, this type of exodus is quick and permanent. Social media tools make it easy to unsubscribe or unfollow. That means you don't have second chances and you have to be extra careful with your dialog.

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1 kommentar:

  1. youve got a point out there! maybe you post more about this..

    thanks its me andre of:
    Social Media Help

    SvaraRadera