How to boost business through social networking |
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| Sales and Marketing | |
| Written by Rob Hinchcliffe, Community Manager, Qype.co.uk | |
| Tuesday, 02 June 2009 | |
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Using social media can be time consuming - can customer reviews take some of the workload? Last year one in five businesses sourced a new customer through the use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Proof that, In a time of global recession, small independent businesses are looking for a way to market themselves effectively and economically. However, as more and more businesses create accounts with social networks so they can better communicate and respond to their customers and communities, they are also realising that maintaining these online relationships, updating content, and keeping content fresh and interesting can be time-consuming to the point where it becomes a job in itself.Recently, a new breed of social network has emerged that means business owners don’t need to spend hours updating pages with new information and details on events and new menus. Review sites such as Qype.co.uk allow their members to write reviews of their favourite restaurants, bars, events and places; and award star ratings depending on their experience. There is no better publicity than a glowing review from a happy customer praising a fantastic new menu or excellent customer service, and as a consequence small businesses across the UK are flocking to these sites. Another added benefit of these user-generated review sites is the ability to generate new, fresh content through with little effort. Instead organic and engaging material is constantly uploaded by community members who write reviews, leave comments, and upload pictures and videos. As a result, traffic to sites increases and Google rankings are boosted, increasing a business’s visibility to potential new customers. It is important to acknowledge that reviews are not always positive of course, and by providing the public with a license to write whatever they like about a business, owners are opening themselves up to criticism. But bear in mind that the Web will always be a soapbox for consumers, whether what they are saying is positive and negative. What review sites and social networks can do is provide a central repository for these comments, allowing the businesses to participate in the discussion, to creating a dialogue with consumers and the community, and to deal with any complaints in an open an honest manner. Community forum discussions are also a great way for business owners to bring new services, company news, or products to customers’ attention and can even allow people to feel more in touch with a business, through the ability to communicate directly with the person behind the brand. With one in five businesses sourcing a new customer through a social network, becoming a member of a social networking site is not only about boosting custom or website traffic but a way of genuinely interacting with customers, building relationships with them that generate mutual trust, respect and loyalty – something which is invaluable if SMBs are to hold on in the high tide of the recession.
Comments (2)
 More than one way to attract a client Posted by Jessan Dunn Otis, 03 June 2009
Creating a website, crafting and effectively distributing press releases, targeting your market, communicating effectively, participating in social networks, adding valuable content/articles, blogging, contributing to review sites, developing a give-away e-book, sending out a newsletter and much more are all valuable if (and only if) you're generating good business.
What works best for one may be a total failure for another. Know your market, experiment to see what works best for you and your prospective clients, always give value and ...run with it. If there's an area of social networking or promoting or communicating with which you have little or no skill(s), hire someone who has those skills and collaborate with them. There are as many ways to sustain current clients and attract prospective clients as there are the next "latest-and-greatest" application comin' down the path. Enjoy the journey... What say you, please? Jessan Post a comment
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Some tips:
- have a strategy before you start out. Are you doing it to better serve existing customers or win new ones? Work out what you want to achieve and stick with it
- go where your customers are willing to engage with you. Some networks are bigger than others, but if your customers aren't there, or don't want to engage with you there, then what's the point of being on them? Ask your customers which networks they use for business and would be willing to engage with you on -- Facebook has 200M members, but they are mainly there for friends and family, for example
- make your participation generally interesting to your audience rather than purely about you, your company and how great you are
- read and take note of the feedback and comments you get rather than just see social media as a broadcast tool
Anyone wanting to know more can feel welcome to follow me on Twitter.