15 replies to this topic

[Computerselaine]

Social media, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc (even The Business Circuit!) and its other forms are use extensively in business these days. Do you use any of these for your business and have you seen any positive results? Why do you use social media and how do you make time for it?

For me personally I use social media alot, I'm on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/computerselaine, LinkedIn http://uk.linkedin.com/in/elaineisaac and Facebook http://www.facebook....nvallissoftware as well as Google +. I link most of my social networking via Tweetdeck and am starting to get results and enquiries from all over the country. It doesn't take so much time as I used to as I have a better strategy in place and this is when the results have started!

[JamesHobbs]

I use social media for my business, and try to maintain a presence on all the different platforms.

I've definitely had some good results, certainly worth the hour or so a day i spend updating it all. I think social media is essential now really. Customers just expect you to use it.

[Daniel Elkington IFA]

I do them all for a half hour a day (at least) and get some good conversations going but never seem to get any business off it. Probably because my sector, people I think perceive me as trying to sell them something they dont want.

Who doesn't want to plan for a successful personal and professional life?

James is spot on, there is an expectation that we all use it so...

[Agnes Cserhati]

I find social media very useful for my business. I also recommend to all my clients to make the most of it.
I use twitter extensively and LinkedIn to connect with like-minded individuals.

[RichardMcCann]

I agree that social media can be very time-consuming and the worry is always 'could I have better used all the hours I have spent on this?' As Daniel says, he 'never seems to get any business off it'.

I tend to think of it in two ways:

1. Very long term - just like networking meetings where it could be years before someone calls you out of the blue,
recommended by someone you met once who remembered you as a 'nice chap' and found you again through your web site.
2. Aha! Web site. Remember that social media will link to your website and that blogs and news, for example, are searched by
engines independently of corporate website searches.

So, depending if you are seeking to engage with consumers, business users, or both, try to use some or all of the following:

Traditional magazine and newspaper editorial comment, Case Studies, Letters, Broadcast, YouTube, Facebook, Google +, Twitter, LinkedIn groups, Blogs, Review sites, Competitions, Article Syndication …essentially everything to build awareness, authenticity and high rank on key terms.

You website traffic will certainly get a boost with leads who have knowledge of you before they visit, and some of the contacts you will receive will be hard to attribute to a single source, but - hey - do you ultimately care?

Oh yes - its also worth spending a few more minutes (sorry!) leveraging your 'hits'. If you get a good reaction on LinkedIn or The Business Circuit, tweet a 'Join the debate' link.. Add links to your email signatures for example, and keep your YouTube or news links in a text so you can quickly screen/play them from your 'phone if you bump into a prospect.

Enough! I've taken up far too much of your time! Cheers, Richard

[Computerselaine]

Thanks for your coments everyone. James, you have certainly hit the nail on the head, I think that businesses are expected to use some form of social media these days, it's also a great way to get to know people and their businesses through an alternative form of networking.

[Lovat Barnes Gallery]

Some good thoughts here, I am a tad old school....but learning quickly!
Now on Linkedin, Twit and Face, also an American site the Open Art Collection. And now here.

[Computerselaine]

Some good thoughts here, I am a tad old school....but learning quickly!
Now on Linkedin, Twit and Face, also an American site the Open Art Collection. And now here.

Thanks for your reply. What is your Twitter username? I'm following other members of Business Circuit as and when I come across their usernames!

[Admin Tones]

Yes, personally I believe you can gain great benefit from Social Media .... Our first piece of work was via Twitter!

Out of interest, does anyone blog?

Jo

[Computerselaine]

Yes, personally I believe you can gain great benefit from Social Media .... Our first piece of work was via Twitter!

Out of interest, does anyone blog?

Jo

Hi Jo,

Thanks for your reply to the topic.

Regarding blogging, I belong to a group who formed Devon Social Media. We all tweet etc, but we have also set up a blog at: Http://www.devonsocialmedia.co.uk if you are interested in taking a look.

My husband also has a blog on our website at: http://www.convallis...are.co.uk/Blog/

[LocateUK]

I have literally just started my new website (in footer) and am currently heavily relying on Social Networking to get businesses signed up. The main reason for this is because it is free and relatively easy i guess!

It has worked so far although it is a case of you get out of it what you put in, on days that i don't have much time i don't tend to generate much interest and then days i do put the effort in say on Twitter, it gets really busy.

Zak

[PivotalNetworks]

Hi All

I think social media is gaining traction more each day and we do use it as part of our marketing and business strategy at Pivotal Networks.

What I see are the different generations and businesses that currently exist in the world. Some have never used social media as they don't see the need (older generation - traditionalist) and some use it constantly (younger generation).

The later have grown up with this technology and way of interacting and expect nothing less. Whether it be at home or at the work place. Even if companies don't use it every minute of the day, it's good to get your presence setup and working and then just commit a set amount of time in the early stages to update it.

Some of the earlier comments/threads are valid ones, as you don't always get rewarded immediately from what you do on social media but consider it like a slow burner - unless that is you have unique proposition and a skill for social media when people will flock to your feeds and website.

Just my ten pence worth.

[TalkBusinessMagazine]

Social networking is Key. Even for a magazine like ourselves.

You will be amazed at how it can draw in customers. If you want to get yours hands dirty there are hundres of social addon sites such as Twello.com (twitter yellow pages) that can help.

There are risks involved of course as this article explains http://bit.ly/zRKx0G

Talk Business Magazine

[Computerselaine]

Thanks everyone for all your comments. Some really useful information here.

[Robert Peters]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to add a quick couple of points from my own experience and client work. Apologies in advance if I'm covering basics you've already thought of

Firstly, a really important aspect of social media for business is to ensure that you match the social network with the audience you target. You'll find few solicitors on Facebook in the afternoon but will find plenty of Mum's running businesses from home, likewise lot's of young people on Facebook but few on Google+. It's really important to match your target and social network as you can spend a lot of time and build a large following which takes a lot of time out of your day but doesn't convert to any business. Personally I think it's hard to really major on more than one or two networks so you have to focus, and of course Google+ is a game changer.

Secondly, social media is a great way to direct traffic to your website, your content, to demonstrate your knowledge, etc. but always point people back to your own website (as others have said) as that's your business real estate. Some make the mistake of building their business on Facebook, etc. and then when the rules change they have all manner of issues. Build your business on your own real estate, your own domain name and use the various networks to point and bring people to that place.

Have a great day.

Rob

[ShareYourSquare]

Hi Guys,

Some great points on here and I have taken a lot on board, especially when considering who to target and the times that they will be online and likely to see my updates.

My business relys quite heavily on the influence of social media as that is how users are asked to refer each other. So far I have found it very effective, especially in the evenings when it seems a lot of business owners are online and have finished their day to day activities.

One thing I quickly learnt from Twitter was that people re-tweeting you is one of the most effective ways of spreading your message. It usually results in new followers and can be a great way of reaching new people, you also notice a big jump in website traffic when people are talking about you. There are a lot of users on Twitter who are there to promote businesses and will help promote you to their thousands of followers if you ask them.

I've found that because of its fast pace Twitter updates need to be very regular, whereas facebook takes a lot less time to manage as a status can be visible to other users for a much longer period (days, weeks etc), pretty useful for putting a link out and getting steady hits from it.

Currently in the process of setting up a Google+ profile, but haven't heard much about the benefits of it yet so will have to wait and see how effective it is.

Hope I've not repeated what you've all commented

Thanks

Ollie