Social Media Marketing Strategies

I'm always on the lookout for emerging media tools and techniques that can be effectively implemented by smaller companies. Many people know about the newer social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, but how does a small business use them to grow their business?

Connecting with Your Customers

One of the advantages of being a smaller enterprise is the ability to connect with your customers in a way the lumbering giants can't. Using social media you can:

• Get to know your customers better than your competition does
• Develop relationships with your customers
• Get information out fast
• Help your customers in more ways than just for-pay products and services
• Turn customers into friends

The last one is probably the most important of all. People buy more readily from their friends than someone they don't know. Turn customers into friends and they'll buy from you again and again.

Reputation Management

Negative word-of-mouth is a part of business. Every business will have it at some point. With social media you can quickly address negative opinions and head them off before they impact your sales.

• Show how you fix problems
• Demonstrate fast response
• Share your side of the story

Regularly maintain social media profiles. Talk with customers. Let them know how you put their needs first. Then, when bad news hits, people will be more apt to think the negative reaction is probably unfounded.