Mixing social with business
…or how harnessing the power of social media will boost your business, win you friends and influence people…
Few businesses these days would argue that they don’t need a website. According to a BBC report in March 2012,
the UK is the ‘most internet-based major economy’ on the planet with online transactions accounting for 8.3% of our total economy – bigger than any other G20 country.
What’s more, researchers predict that the UK web economy is set to grow at a considerably faster rate than either the US or China in the next four years to reach a total of £221 billion by 2016.
That’s all very well for the likes of online retailers and consumer goods companies you may say. But how does this benefit your average, small B2B professional services organisation?
Well the point is people are spending more and more of their time online.
And how do they spend their time? Reading content (20%); searching for content (21%) and social networking (22%).
It goes without saying that websites delivering more than static, out-dated information are the ones that are going to attract most attention. Expectations are high but it doesn’t take a great deal to rise above the run of the mill and to actively engage with your audience – existing and potential clients and customers.
It’s all about the content. Steer well clear of dull, contrived brochure copy and salesy PR fodder. Focus on telling stories that demonstrate you know what you are talking about, give some thought leadership, share some tips, be a little bit controversial, comment on relevant news stories and trends, spark up conversations.
The main vehicle to deliver this is your business blog but make sure you use all the other social media tools at your disposal to raise awareness and get people talking about you on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc.
Get it right and you will naturally build a following; keep getting right and you’ll have created an on-going word of mouth marketing campaign as your clients and followers refer and defer to your knowledge and expertise.