Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of social media on your online business? Not long ago social media did not exist and yet today it’s vital part of any marketing strategy.

Today social media is so much more than a website our children use to talk to their friends. Everybody from big business to independent business owners are using some form of social media to promote their business and build their brand.

*50% of small business owners reported gaining new customers through social media – most notably through Facebook and LinkedIn.

*51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter users are more likely to buy from the brands they follow.

The sheer variety of social media sites out there is staggering, so just this article we will focus on the heavy hitters…..Facebook & Twitter.

Facebook appeals to people looking to reconnect with old friends and family members or find new friends online; the mashup of features like email, instant messaging, image and video sharing, etc. feels familiar, while Twitter is a bit harder to get your arms around at first.

Most people can very quickly grasp how to use Facebook to connect to friends and family and promote business, using it to share thoughts, images, etc. Like MySpace but more geared to adults.

Twitter on the other hand, encourages you grab ideals in bite-size chunks and use your updates as jumping off points to other places or just let others know what you’re up to at any given moment.

Facebook

 

Strengths

• Free to build: Facebook accounts are free to set up and there is no subscription to keep the page live.
• Facebook Pages are indexed in search engines: Increasing the likelihood of folks finding your organisation through a google search.
• A Page can have multiple administrators: This means maintaining a page can be shared by many people both internal and external. ( To add: Manage> Edit Page>Manage admins)
• Analysing traffic: Facebook Insights track data on visitors
• NO fan Limits: there are no limits to the number of fans you can have on a page
• Ability to send messages and updates to all your fans at once: Fans receiving those messages can easily foward the message or post the message to their facebook wall.

Weaknesses

• Pages cannot post to fan Profiles: Although they can post updates or send email to fans the profile cannot directly post to a fans wall
• Membership has it privileges: user have to be member of facebook to be able to interact with a page.

 

How to start a Facebook Page:

 Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strengths
• Real time news
• Customers’ loyalty and personal connection to brands
• Able to disseminate information easily
• Easy to sue a tool to find internet trends

Weaknesses
• 140 characters limit
• One issue with Twitter is that there is a ton of chatter, making it difficult to ensure you’re reaching your target to drive traffic to your site.

 

How to start a Twitter Page:

In essence, fan sites and business pages are not just cute pages to look into. These are powerful tools that can reach millions of homes and can help build your business.

The social media content that you decide to share to the online world will greatly determine the success or failure of your online presence. You would want more people to like and trust you so don’t bombard potential customers with a sales pitch at every turn. Make sure you publish well-written, unique content that readers will want to share through their networks.

Let the buying public realize that you’re there to provide their needs. Be patient when you’re setting up your pages. Let your potential clients learn about your company first and help them appreciate that you’re willing to walk the second mile for them.

Social media has made the world a much smaller place where business is possible with anyone from around the world, Learn to use this tool efficiently and your business will reap the rewards.