Catherine Livingstone: Step 3: Earning Money Online - 21 September
Socialising Your Brand
When someone talks about Facebook, Twitter and blogging, do you look at them confused? Or are you using social media but not getting any business out of it? Here are some tips to get the most out of socializing your business/brand online.
Why Should I?
Social media in New Zealand has become a common ground for meeting new people, making connections and researching companies before purchasing a product. In its simplest format it is informing consumers and making them feel safer about interacting with a certain company.
Many ask the question when starting a business why they should get a website or do other forms of online marketing which forms your social media portfolio. The answer to this is it is now seen as the norm and there is an expectation that a company will have these facilities. If there aren't these forums available it will make customers second guess the history or reliability of a service.
Don't think you have to spend a lot of money - there are websites out there now that you can get a one-pager up and running for $25 per month with no set up costs or even for absolutely nothing. Think of it like an online version of your business card - people will find you, know who you are and have the information there to connect directly with you.
Tweet, Twitter and Beep Who?
As this way of communicating became more popular, more and more versions started popping up, from Facebook to tweeting on Twitter and now blogging is joining in. There are now websites you can go to that will hold all of your social media accounts and all you have to do is type in what you want to say and it will update everything at once.
Again look at what your target market is doing and set up an account which will enable you to see what the forum is like and understand the ways of communicating in a social media arena and utilise them to best benefit your business. Keep in mind that email is going to become extinct and we will communicate solely through social media.
Making Money
Most look at social media as a way to communicate but don't know how to transition this into making important business connections that result in new business. Facebook is a great example because you can have a personal page that all your friends can chat about and your personal side of life is on display.
But you can also have a public business page that can work for your business, connecting with other business owners, have key phrases that will pop up in searches and enable you to profile products and get great brand exposure. Put aside 1 hour a week to go into Facebook and look at who you are connected to personally, who they are connected to - what business they are in or who they work for and send an invite simply introducing yourself as a business owner.
New Zealanders love growing our networks and every person you introduce yourself to have a group of friends who might need your service. I myself am getting 2 to 3 new clients out of Facebook and Twitter per month.
When you meet someone online or in person for the first time and you know they won't use your service it's no longer about them it's about who they might be connected to.
1 hour a week online could result in over 100 new faces!
Minimum input for maximum exposure!
Contact Catherine Livingstone
www.missionimpossible.co.nz
catherine@missionimpossible.co.nz
021 376 339
