Social Media and Your Business

My goal for social media and my business is:


1 - increase my number of business contacts (mostly in the GTA)


2 - build up my credibility and demonstrate my expertise


3 - create some community




Obviously it is a goal of the majority of businesses to increase the number of contacts so in turn they have more prospects and in the long run more clients.  Just having more friends or followers does not necessarily make it useful.  One twitter contact that I have posts a quote everyday.  The followers of this twitter account (myself included) enjoy and appreciate the quotes.  At no point in the past two years have I noticed the business owners explaining what she does.  It does not matter how many contacts if no one knows what she does.  I also think it is extremely ridiculous to have thousands of contacts in other countries unless there is a chance that you could buy from them; they could buy from you or you could learn from them.  If none of these things are possible then that contact is only a number and is not helping your business.


Building up credibility and demonstrating your expertise is important for almost all businesses.  Even businesses that sell products can demonstrate expertise.  9 out of 10 posts should be helpful - tips, events that your target market may be interested in, product introduction / highlights, and of course staff introduction.  Including articles that you have written in your social media will highlight your knowledge and including articles you find on the internet, in newspapers or magazines highlights the fact that you keep up on the industry.  Documenting your speaking opportunities definitely demonstrates that other people believe and understand that you are an expert.


Community is a big deal when you live in a small town.  The new comer takes awhile before they are accepted.  In the social media world, community can help get your message out to more people.  It is extremely tough to make enough deals to have specific contacts like, share and comment on every post and you in turn comment on theirs -- so you need to post things that people will like, share and comment on without you prompting them every-time.  The posts that seem to get the most attention are the ones that start a discussion.  Post your opinion in a statement and then watch other people react.


If your sole focus on social media is to get sales then it will be a very difficult adventure.  It takes many other factors to build your list, build your credibility and build your community before the sales part becomes easier and more consistent.


If you need help with your social media then call Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business at 647-287-0320 or email info@fitforbusiness.ca


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