It’s no secret that social media is the best way to attain free or low-cost advertising and market your business. Not only can you get your brand out there but you’re also creating and nurturing a relationship with your customers and supporters.
By developing a Facebook fan page, a Twitter handler and a company blog you get rid of the idea that all you are is a rigid corporation – there are indeed people behind the figure-head. With every status update, tweet, and post your business becomes more and more human, and will even start to develop a personality.
Once you develop a consistent level of engagement, fans will also share their own two cents which is invaluable to you as a business. Those who choose to keep up with your business online are obviously interested in what you do, are probably customers or they are about to be. Free feedback from your fans in the form of rants or raves, content sharing and reviews on your social media networks is a marketers dream.
Most successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of social media outlets. We also recognize the unspoken race to be the business in your area, competitive set or industry with the most likes and followers.
Social Media Wars: You Can’t Buy My Love
Each like or follower is important because he or she is one more business advocate; one more person to give feedback and one more potential customer that will positively promote your brand.
But did you know that not all is fair in love and social media? There are businesses out there that pay for likes and followers. Why you may ask? It’s simple – they equate social media marketing success to a large number of likes and followers.
What happened to authenticity in social media? Today, you can buy Facebook fans or purchase Twitter followers, but some of the best things in life are actually still free. Two hundred genuine supporters of your business will always be better than 2,000 robots or people that aren’t actually interested in what you have to offer.
Another issue with these “pay to play” sites is that many of them offer huge results right off the bat, which is all well and good, but a lot of the time the client finds a lot of his new ‘supporters’ have fled the scene after about a week’s time.
All You Need is “Genuine Social Media” Love
Instead of quick fixes to absolve the idea that you only have a few likes and followers, take care in building your reputation and the support will follow. Share interesting articles and videos pertaining to your industry alongside your own business news. Throw in a few deals for your loyal fans and frequently ask questions and initiate conversations between your followers to keep everyone happy and interested.
This old fashion equation for gaining support is the only way to go to gain genuinely loyal fans that will stick with your business through the test of time.
Photo Credit: © microimages
© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.
In this article
