A Crash Course In Entrepreneurship

So you know social media is changing the way that people buy things and the way that companies do business. Everyone is on Facebook and using Twitter…at least if they know what is good for them they are. Now it’s your turn to learn how you can use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the other networking sites to attract more customers and clients to your business.

First, make sure you are signed up with Facebook and Twitter. If you’re going to be pumping out content, as you should be, and have a video camera, then get signed up on YouTube and Viddler (video blogging secret – use TubeMogul to upload your video to multiple sites just once – more to come in another post).

So you’re signed up, now what?

1. Start following people on Twitter and Facebook who are talking about your business area or industry. If your running a camping equipment business, then follow people talking about hiking, backpacking, camping, and any related gear manufacturers. If you’re running a  website on do it yourself plumbing, then follow people who may be talking about hiring a plumber, other plumbers, people talking about leaky faucets or any other related topic. Use a service like Tweetbeep or similar to get notified of people using your keywords so that you can follow them.
2. Once you’ve started following people, INTERACT WITH THEM! This is the biggest point – you have to engage yourself in order to see a return from your efforts. You can’t just add 100’s of people to your friends list and expect them to do business with you. Just like in the offline world, you have to do some networking, talk with people, and talk about your business. But don’t push your business too much! Engage with your friends and followers, help solve their problems, and help any way you can.
3. Create a Facebook Fan Page for your business/company on Facebook. Being a “friend” with someone on Facebook is great and all, but its on more of a personal level where conversations are about what you are doing this weekend. With a Fan Page you can keep the interaction more related to your business. Fan Pages give you the same features as a regular profile such as posting pictures, videos, and links but also allow for people to interact with you, which is what you want. Invite all your Facebook friends to be “Fans” of your business. Use your Facebook fan page as a way to drive more traffic to your actual website and also to make another connection with your followers on Twitter. If someone is looking for more information about your company, you can send them to your Fan Page AND to your website.
4. Like the West Virginia state slogan, declare yourself open for business. Many other entrepreneurs and social media “experts” will tell you not to advertise your business but to just let people come to you. This is all good and can be a successful plan, but I feel you still need to advertise/promote your business within the Facebook and Twitter scene. Cross reference your tweets and Facebook page, post links to press releases, your services, or your company blog. Offer your services to people who may be talking about what you do. Going back to the plumbing website, if someone is talking about installing a new sink over the weekend, @reply them or send them a Direct Message offering a link to your site and page on sink installation. If it helps them, maybe they’ll click on one of your ads, buy your service or product, or share your website with their friends.Example: One day I was searching Twitter (www.search.twitter.com) for the keyword “wordpress help”. I quickly came across a bunch of people looking for help with their wordpress theme, looking for a custom theme, or that had other questions. I started interacting with them and offered my services to help them get their blog up and running. The investment of an hour in talking with them gained me their business because we had established a relationship. In this area alone, Twitter has brought me 4 clients.
5. Keep rolling out fresh content. Being signed up for Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is not enough to get you more customers. You need to be pumping out content on those networks too. If your operating a Facebook fan page, then you need to be posting links to your blog, links to industry news, posting videos of your demonstrating products or reviewing a product, and pictures of your business or products.
6. An often overlooked tactic is to interact with other people ON THEIR OWN SITES. Take some of the interaction off of Twitter and Facebook and onto someone else’s blog or website. Start leaving meaningful and worthy comments on peoples blog posts and create a reputation on sites. Then, with any luck, you’ll start to get recognized on those sites and people will start heading to your own website, Facebook page, or Twitter account to learn more about your and your business.
7. BE PATIENT! This is the most important part of these tips. You have to be patient and can’t expect to all of the sudden see a 25% growth in business because you signed up for Twitter and followed a few people. You need to interact, build relationships, and then engage with them. Building a quality and interested list of friends and followers will take time. Building relationships is going to take time. And getting people to buy from you is going to take some time; but that time will come! Just be patient, keep at it (for however long it takes), and then you’ll start to see some rewards.

Are you interested in how your business can better use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to grow your business? Then feel free to contact me for some help!