How your Business Can Stand Out – Think Social Media

How can you stand out in today’s business environment?  The answer is Social Media. 

It’s one thing to have great ideas, a superior product or service, and a track record of success.  It’s another to position yourself for continued success in today’s economy.

You know that the marketplace is influenced by forces very different from years past.  Today customers find you.  Even if you initiate contact and garner a potential buyer’s interest, in the majority of situations the sale isn’t made until that buyer checks you (and your competition) out online.

Therefore, it’s important that you, your Company, your product/service not only show up well online, but stand out as different and better.

That’s where the power of social media can help.

Here are some ideas of how your business can gain visibility online:

1.  Plan – it starts with a plan.  Develop a strategic social media plan that identifies your target audience(s), defines your goals and objectives, and identifies platform specific tactics to be used to meet your goals.

2.  Get Involved – Find out what questions your customers are asking about related to your product/service.  Provide the answers – details, honesty, comparisons vs. the competition, insights.  This helps position you as the expert in your field.

• Other Tips:  Join online Groups (for example, LinkedIn Groups) and be active in them, participate in forums, write reviews, add to industry knowledge with white papers or articles targeting issues surrounding your product/service.

3.  Reach Out – Reach out to thought leaders in your industry, learn what they’re talking about online and take an active part in their conversations – if you add value, you’ll get noticed.

• Other Tips:  “Follow” your customers (on Twitter, for example) to gain knowledge of things they’re facing – then jump into the conversation – especially when you’re in a position to be able to solve one of their problems or share valued information on the subject.

4. Add Dialog – Generate your own content (posts, blog entries, announcements, tips, competitive commentary).  Think about how to get people to read it – provide pictures, video, and write about things that people will want to share or comment on.

• Other Tips:  Make sure your headlines are interesting and compelling – it’s not enough to talk, you need to entice people to listen.  This can happen by creatively leading people to your content (emotional, funny, curious, controversial headlines that make your audience want to see what you’re talking about).

Social media is a great way to help you showcase your expertise, build trust, and broaden your reach.  Visibility is critically important in today’s marketplace, it’s something that requires daily attention.

Social media, done consistently and with a plan, can supplement your other marketing efforts and can truly help you thrive.

What have you been doing that’s delivered results for your Company – I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks for reading!!  And now….a brief explanation:  I took the picture of the piglets in the mountains of North Carolina – they were all adorable, but the multi-colored one with brown, black and white just seemed to stand out and capture my attention.  Ideal, I feel, for this blog post.