Why Social Media?

It has the potential to eat up tons of time, scheduling it into your day means adding an extra activity into a crowded schedule, and the learning curve can be high depending on how technically savvy you are. So why get into social media? Customers!

Don't think of social media as an online time waster, instead, think of it as digital networking. There are tons of people for you to connect with. By skipping out on social media, you could be skipping out on an enormous number of new customers. Here are some specifics:

-Facebook has more than 400 million users. A bit of perspective: there are 300 million people in the United States. The average Facebook user has 130 friends and is connected to 60 pages, groups and events.

-There are nearly 12 million Twitter users. About 65 percent of them are under 25. Women make up 53 percent of the user base.

That's a huge market! Before you get too excited, remember that this is digital networking, not digital door-to-door sales. Don't spam users with links and useless content. It's like real networking--connect with people and engage them. Send useful links and take part in conversations. The benefit over face-to-face networking is that you can break up the conversation over time, you can connect to multiple networks at once, and you can do it from anywhere.

An easier inventory

Anyone that has to manage a business with a lot of inventory knows that nothing's more tedious than data entry. If you get hundreds of new products every quarter, the last thing you want to do is spend hours inputting each item. Some desktop programs will send you new items to download into your program, but they cost money. Other programs don't even have inventory options, you're stuck keeping track of them in a spreadsheet, or on paper. There are some online programs that keep track of updates for you. You don't have to spend hours updating your inventory every quarter. You don't have to keep using the same old programs and methods just because that's the way you've done it for years. It's time to upgrade! There are faster, better and easier ways to run your business. Ways to save you time and money. Check them out now!

Keeping in touch with customers

Today's technology enables us to keep in touch with customers in a number of new ways. The next time you get a new customer, make sure you take down more than just their name, phone number and address. Ask them if they are online--Facebook, Twitter, email, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. Some online business management programs allow you to store this information about customers for reference. With their online contact info, you can quickly and easily reach them. Send an email marketing campaign to them, comment on their Facebook status or pictures, or connect with them on LinkedIn. 

Using online communication, you can easily pass on links containing coupons or helpful articles. If you schedule in some time to communicate online once or twice a week with your customers, you'll stay in their mind. A lot of people fear that always being online will distance us from people and hurt our face-to-face communication. I think it actually makes it more special. If your customers see you digitally all the time, either on Facebook or Twitter, imagine how surprised they'd be if they received a phone call or a hand written note. So just because the online world is growing, doesn't mean the older means of communication are going to die out. Here are some quick tips for communicating with customers:

-First, become a friend of your customers on Facebook and Twitter (if they are on those services. If you aren't, stop reading now and join!)

-Next, comment on their status updates, pictures and links. Occasionally send them something useful about a sale, but DO NOT spam them with merchandise--that's an easy way to get un-followed.

-Get to know them--thanks to online profiles, this is pretty easy!

-Every now and then (maybe once a month) send them a personalized, handwritten note. This will strengthen the relationship and make them feel special.

-Keep that cycle going and you'll build a loyal customer base in no time!

Who do you follow?

Do you have a Twitter account? If so, who are your favorite people to follow? Chances are it's not the people that are constantly spamming links and "deals." It's probably the people tweeting good content. The people that connect with you and bring something of value to the relationship. It might be a famous person with something funny or insightful to say, or a business colleague dishing out excellent advice. It's like life outside of the digital world--you decide which people to become friends with based on what benefits they'll bring to the relationship, and what you can offer them. Treat your Twitter account in the same way.

Whoever it is, there's a reason you follow them, a reason you like to read the things they write. Keep that in mind as you tweet your own content. If you want people to follow you, then you have to provide something they want.

Twitter
is a great way to network with others. Make yourself worth following!

Learning to blog through Facebook

If you're new to blogging, but you're a Facebook veteran, there's no need to worry. Facebook is like a more open, accessible form of blogging.

-Status updates are like micro-blogs. 

-For more in-depth updates you can write notes for others to read. 

-You gain friends by commenting on other posts and pictures, just as you would do to gain readers on your blog. 

-The comment and reply system on a Facebook wall is very similar to the comment system in most blogging tools. 

-Other things, like uploading pictures and inserting links are also similar. 

-You arrange pictures and notes into albums--similar to the way you arrange posts on a blog into categories.

-You put captions on photos and tag friends in them, just like you would put tags on a blog post so people know what's in it.

If you're a heavy Facebook user, you might be more accustomed to the world of blogging than you think. Practicing good Facebook habits--commenting, tagging, frequent posting--can help you form good blogging habits.

Later this week, we'll discuss the differences between Facebook Groups and Facebook Fan Pages.

An intro to blogging

So you've signed up for a blog and you're ready to go. What now? Before you start writing, there are a few questions you can answer that will make blogging easier.

Why are you writing?

This is the most important one. What's the reason behind this blog? Is it to act as an online journal? Will it cover a specific topic? If you know why you're writing, it will make coming up with new entries easy.

Who are you writing for?

Is there a certain reader or demographic you have in mind? Knowing your audience is key to writing good content. You wouldn't use the same language with toddlers as you would with adults!

When will you write?

Creating a posting schedule isn't a must, but it can make things easier for you and your readers. If your readers know that you'll have new content up every MWF, then they don't have to guess. 

Having the answers to these questions will make blogging much easier and even more satisfying.