This is a blog series that we are going to be putting on to help our members with some of the burning questions about Social Media. We will cover many topics from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. How they work, what you can do with them, and most importantly how they can make you money.
For starters what you need to know is that Social Media is more than just another advertising venue, its more like a conversation you are having with your customers, and potential customers.
Traditional Media is like a one way street, you put an ad out and hope it gets your message across, but you are not there to answer the questions your audience has, and you can't expound beyond the print. Social Media on the other hand is like a two way street, or conversation. You are able to communicate instantly with your customer, and then respond directly to questions, and be able to overcome the objections if there are any.
One way that I heard it put was imagine you are having a conversation with an individual and someone just walks up and says "Hi, I'm so-and-so buy my product." and then they leave are you going to buy his product? Most of us would answer "NO" This is how a traditional commercial happens many times, we are watching a show that we like, and then there is an interruption (usually at good part) and then in come the commercials for paper towels, dog food, razors, medications, 3 minutes later your show is back on and you have moved on. Or you have recorded your show and just fast forward past them and ignore them anyway.
Social Media on the other hand is your customers intentionally communicating with you. You are a part of the conversation not simply an interruption to it.
An example would be on Twitter:
When you go onto Twitter and tweet (or share) about your product and use the # symbol in front of it, then anyone else interested in that product will be able to see you. Example, "I sure do love #IceCream I wish I had some right now." If you sold Ice Cream you could follow anyone who puts the "#" in their tweet and tell them that your company sells the best. then offer them a 10% off coupon by going to your website or email them a coupon. Its just that simple. This works with anything.
The Social Media Company Social Motives posted this in their blog last October:
An well-integrated Social Media strategy will keep customers and prospects engaged with your brand for longer. In an independent 2010 survey, the Social Media Examiner asked marketers how social media has affected their businesses and the results were mapped into the graphic below:
At the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce we are here to encourage develop and grow your business through networking, advertising, promotion, and growth opportunities.
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