When business owners and managers hear that they should be moving toward an increased online presence they often scoff, joke and immediately respond that their business is not suited to ?tweeting,? ?posting,? or ?blogging.? I would say this is true for a very select few ? obviously, private security contractors would not be wise to live-tweet missions nor would investment firms be suited to posting details about their process or recommended ventures ? but other industry specific, brand focused social media posts can provide a unique avenue for bridging the public ? company gap and providing key insight for media and other third party customers. This conversation is very much a part of a bigger discussion about the importance of a business?s branding, one that we will get to with another post on another day.
To answer the question ?Why should my very private/proprietary/small/not end-consumer-focused business use Twitter or other social media?? you, the business owner or manager, must first answer one question: Do you want your business to grow? I?ve never met someone who would say no, but there is a time and a place for everything.
Social media is the next wave of the website. It surprises me to no end how often businesses underscore the importance of their website and the information they post on it. What is the first thing you do when researching or asking a question about an industry or organization? You ?Google? it, you go to your favorite browser and search for information on your topic. This is how social media becomes relevant. Increasingly, not only are content consumers reaching out to Google, Yahoo! or other search engines, but they are reaching out to their social networks. A media representative or other third party consumer may quickly tweet, ?Looking for a west-coast based venture capitalist to shed light on x trend, mssg me for details.? This is a vague example of a request, but one that will almost always receive a response of recommendations, insights and information. This type of information sourcing has become more popular, and even a person?s or organization?s tweets and posts are being featured as ?news items? on national networks. Maintaining awareness for your company as well as an awareness of other companies in tangible ways ? revenue, client base, success ? is widely practiced, why should you not monitor what is happening online as well?
There remains the question, why should your small, independent company use Twitter or other social media platforms? Many companies fear that they don?t have anything to say, to which the response is: do you advertise? do you network in-person with other companies or customers? How do you grow your business in the offline world? The same types of communications can be transferred from offline to online, and the same conversations can happen via social media, on a much wider scale and with a much more diverse audience.
?But I?m based in a small community that is not really ?with-it? technologically,? is another frequent response. That is frequently the case, however, is your product or service something that consumers outside of your immediate community could benefit from? Many small communities throughout the US are not avid technology users, but that is a quickly decreasing number. Tourist towns are beginning to see the value of social media in bringing new visitors and revenue to their quaint corner of the earth, and local businesses would be wise to partner with them. Look outside your immediate community to the larger cities and develop an online relationship with that customer base as well. If your product ships or your service can be implemented elsewhere, your customer base is unlimited. As you would participate in marketing and advertising efforts in surrounding communities, participating and communicating online is just one more way to grow your business.
?But my business is full of top-secret, proprietary information,? is another frequent response. Like I mentioned above, obviously you should not live-tweet a security mission or divulge the details of your top-secret processes, but building and maintaining a voice in your industry is more than sharing the intimate details of your business dealings, it is communicating with like-minded people, publishing content that is industry relevant, promoting internal business success when possible and illustrating that your business is available as an industry expert to discuss and provide commentary on trends, issues and other relevant topics.
?But I don?t think people will care about what I have to say,? is another, almost ridiculous response. Why are you in business? Do you think what you are selling or providing to your group of customers is relevant? As long as you are, in fact, in business, it is very unlikely that you will not find people interested in the information you are supplying, the trick is finding the right audience. Just like finding a customer for your product or service in ?the real world? you must market yourself and find the audience in the online world.
Businesses can use social media effectively by harnessing the power of their specialization within the industry to delve deep into a subject, engage an audience of readers on specific issues and demonstrate mastery of their field. As businesses are tweeting and posting links and references to articles and industry information, they are personally engage with their audience, opening up opportunities to get involved in events, collaborate on articles or projects, and comment on relevant industry news. More importantly, these businesses (and people) are building relationships they may not have encountered any other way.
I?m convinced. How do I start??
1. Develop a plan: What types of social media do you want to use? Who will monitor the accounts? Who is the audience you are trying to reach? What type of content will you publish (original or links to other articles)?
2. Start. It really is as simple as that, of course, you should have all of your brand elements in line and understand the implications of posting in the public sphere, but once you have a plan in mind, jumping in is easy, that is part of why social media has become the power-house it is today.
Want more information on how your business can benefit from social media? Want help setting up or managing your accounts? Contact Black Dog Branding for more information on developing your company?s brand both online and off.
Image source.
Source: http://www.sitstayshake.com/2012/07/18/twitter-for-my-business-no-way/
university of kentucky ncaa oakland news alec baldwin alec baldwin college basketball oakland
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.