Have you heard the stories about the power of social media?

A good social media campaign can influence people. It has been used by politicians and grass roots movements to sway votes.

It is responsible for our world becoming more interactive.

Social media has changed the way we find out about news. Gone are the days of waiting to see what happened in the world on the 6 pm news. We now know what goes on almost instantaneously.

Imagine what this kind of access to your customers could do for your business.

Three Social Networks and What They Do

By using social networking such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn you can connect to the people who matter to your business.

Twitter is what is known as a micro-blog. Twitter allows for 140 character “tweets” that can be sent to your followers. It also offers the use of a hashtag. A hashtag is a word or phrase strung together following the # sign. Two examples of hashtags are #twitter or #socialmedia.

Messages with hashtags can be seen by anyone following that hashtag, not just your followers.

Facebook is a social networking site that also makes use of followers. 

Where Twitter uses tweets, Facebook uses “status updates.”

Status updates are seen by all of your followers.

LinkedIn is a professional network where you can connect to those in your professional circle to share ideas, knowledge and opportunities.

Customers can write reviews about your business and take a look at what products or services you offer. Your customers can receive updates on your business by following you.

What Does This Mean For Businesses?

By allowing customers to receive updates about your business, you are opening up an opportunity to connect with them. Personal and thoughtful tweets, status updates on Facebook, and keeping your LinkedIn profile current can boost customer trust.

If you are going to buy a product, are you going to buy it from someone whom you have no knowledge of? How do you know if he or she is an expert in his or her field? Does he or she offer timely updates and provide information that you need to decide?

With social media, you have the opportunity to talk about your products or services like only you can. Your business presence can be whatever you choose to make it.

Connecting with your customers, no matter how you do it, is going to make them happier.

Happier customers are the ones who are going to recommend you to their friends.

Isn’t This Just Another Form of Advertising?

The answer to that is yes, it is a form of advertising. At the same time, there are differences between using social media and traditional advertising.

First, and to some most importantly, is that these services are free. It costs nothing to set up a Facebook profile, Twitter account, or LinkedIn account.

Free advertising is something that is invaluable to your business. By using social media, you are opening up to your customers in a way that is personal.

Traditional ads are pretty impersonal. You either place them in newspapers, mail, flyers, brochures, or other sales material, or take out an advertisement on television and/or radio. You have no idea if the people you are reaching are actually interested in your product.

With social media, you know that people are interested because they opt to follow your updates. 

If you have followers, you know that they are people who are interested in what you have to offer.

As you can see, social media is an exciting tool that businesses can use to connect to their customers, provide updates about your company, and reach out to people who are interested in your business.

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