Social Media Optimization – What about it…

If you’re trying to get somewhere on the internet when it comes to marketing your business, there is no way to ignore social media any longer and whether it will play a factor in your online marketing. With over 500 million users on Facebook (larger than most countries) and over 50% of them accessing their home page daily it’s hard not to pay attention to this medium.

Twitter having over 18 million registered users also competes for attention. For those vying for the B2B market, certainly a business focused forum like LinkedIN with over 35 million members should have you drooling at the possibilities.

This is all the good news; all these people that are actively pursuing products and services that you offer, all together under one roof. However, how do you engage them? This is where the challenges begin. You’re told by everyone that you’ve got to be there, but of course, “there” seems to be everywhere, and when you get there, you have to have wonder- who cares. Do you really care if someone is sitting at Starbucks, and more importantly, what does this have to do with the widgets that you sell?

This is a good question from the outside perspective. However since we’re speaking of perspective, let’s dig a little deeper into this. I really believe we have become a society of instant gratification, and without it, we feel somehow less adequate. This is where a lot of social media optimization takes a bad rap.

If I run search engine marketing advertising such as PPC, I get immediate response. It almost feels good that I spent that money. Whether the PPC accomplished my goal of a lead or sale is immaterial at this point. I paid for something, and I got something in return immediately. It just makes you feel good. Of course this doesn’t necessarily last.If results don’t soon convert into a positive financial return than your satisfaction quickly turns to dissatisfaction.

Now let’s consider networking. You know the events where you go to a business function in hope of starting potential relationships which might develop into sales. Of course when you attend these, you immediately approach each person individually and spew out your elevator pitch and look for their positive response! Well ok maybe you don’t. Maybe you actually converse a little about this, a little about that and eventually you get to what you do. People are intrigued by your knowledge and how it can benefit them; in fact they might even need your services. It just might take meeting 3 or 5 or 10 more times before they really know you and jump in. Then selling is easy, their friends. These new found friends become solid customers.

The cultivation process is one that develops trust and rapport. Doing business with you just makes sense. That’s exactly what social media is all about on a massive unlimited scale. So don’t fear it, don’t condemn it, start to examine it. There are no membership fees, you’re not limited to the same people all the time, you can attend anytime, so embrace it, and it could change your business forever.

Upcoming Webinar on Social Media Optimization

Join us for an upcoming webinar presentation on Social Media Optimization and the role it should play in your business.

Social Media has many challenges and we will explore the utilization of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN. But challenges don’t stop there, implementing a strategy can be a real challenge with limited resources and knowledge. Register Now to reserve your spot on this 90 minute webinar.