The short answer: because your customers are on these networks.

Like a business without a website your absence on Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter is costing you opportunities to be found by prospects actively seeking your products /services.

If you think that the term “social media marketing” means tweeting about what you saw on the commute in this morning or posting pictures from the weekend party – you are missing the point.

Social media lets you interact with individuals, prospective customers, suppliers and other businesses…. clearly, it’s a form of networking, and one that has the potential to reach millions – and for millions to reach you.

As such, it is essential that first, you have profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin; and second, that your profiles attract the contacts and customers you’re seeking.

Some prime reasons for establishing and maintaining social media profiles are:

1. Increased brand awareness. Enhance your visibility in front of people having real time conversations about problems your products / services can solve.
2. Improved reputation. You want to improve how others think about your business, products, services, brands, staff, yourself, as well as improve your reputation as an expert. A strong profile can paint a picture of a robust business that clients want to do business with.
3. Professional Development. The information in your Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter company profiles helps connect you with others in your industry, keep you in the loop on industry knowledge and innovations.

The real power of social media is in the advanced search function. When you create a profile on any network you are asked to input information. These networks have massive databases filled with demographic information on their members. Advanced search allows you to use this information to find your top prospects having real time conversations about problems that you can help them solve.

Tip – Don’t Sell, Offer Help

The biggest mistake that you can make in social media is sending out a constant barrage of marketing messages and sales pitches. Once you have found a conversation taking place, participate in that conversation by offering your best advice. Be helpful without entering into your sales pitch or elevator speech.

You will quickly be viewed as an expert in your field and more importantly as a real person. People want to do business with people they like. It is hard to dislike someone who offers to help, asking nothing in return.

This approach will get your profile noticed. Your profile on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook introduces you and your business to others, to learn and understand who you are and what you do/produce/offer/sell. It’s the first critical step in the process of building relationships with prospects you would have never found if you weren’t active in social media.

Have a social media success story or best practice, let us know by posting a comment below.

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