It’s the end of the month and officially the end of my little experiment of focusing on social media for the past couple of weeks. I hope you all learned a lot and were truly blessed to exploring this new marketing medium. This week we explored some basic moves for Twitter Newbies and Power Users also, how Darren Rowse Uses Social Media to Promote his Blogs, and my 5 Keys to Blogging Success.

When talking about social media many entrepreneurs (who aren’t familiar) tend to shy away from it. Or only consider it as a fad or something the “college kids” are doing. But, I want to challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and go wherever your market is. If potential customers are on Facebook, then you need to be there too. If you’ve got clients talking on Twitter, you need to get in with their conversation. All of these tools will help you round out your web presence, carve your niche, and establish your brand. Below, you’ll find the poll results from this week with a thought or two on why each is great for business. We’ll review the top 3 and get into the others tomorrow.

Poll Results

Twitter - was the overall winner which lets me know that you social media ninjas are really aware of what’s going on. Twitter is an excellent way to engage in conversations, share information, news, and connect with people on a level that was previously unheard of (in terms of speed of connection).
Business Use: When maximizing it for your business be creative. I use it to start conversations that might end up in discussion on another social networking site or even a blog post. I’ve seen other entrepreneurs and corporations use it as another form of customer service. If I have a problem with this site, I sent a quick tweet to my web host and they respond almost instantly. Now, that’s great customer service! You can also use it to share information, timely updates, and tips with your customers to keep them engaged with your brand.

Blogs – Coming in second is the oldest tool on the list, but one that is still relevant, alive, and just as important as the rest. A blog in the general sense is an interactive or live journal. Meaning, people can respond, converse, and share the content you create however they want. It’s a great way to establish a “home-base” for your web presence because you can create a community that supports your brand. In the marketing world, if you have a basket to pull sales out of, the easier the sale. Especially if you’re grabbing something out of the basket that wants to be grabbed. Get it?
Business Use: If you have a product write “how-to” articles that illustrate different uses of the product. If you have a service, write articles that show people how to maximize the service, issues within your industry, or interview prior satisfied customers. Be creative! This is an excellent opportunity to show potential customers who you are, what you’re really made of, and how much you value them by giving them a reason to connect with you.

Facebook – Number three is not for the college kids only anymore. Beyond the games, applications, quizzes, and extras that Facebook offers, it’s really a great CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. Why? Where Twitter is great for instant communication or breaking news and info, Facebook is really all about the relationships and deepening  your connection with customers. You’ve got chat built in, alerts to birthdays and events, status updates, and even an email system built in. Why not use it like that?
Business Use: Share articles with your market (friends) that relate to them, their needs, or their wants. Start a fan page for your company or even yourself and give people a way to engage with you on a deeper level. Create exclusive content for your fan or group members like videos or pictures directly from you or employees. Stay on top of customer birthdays and events and snail mail greeting and birthday cards when something special comes up. It’s really an open sand box . . .

Here are your top 3 best social media tools for business. Since you all are social media experts, how are you maximizing each tool for your business? Do you feel like you’re using them to the fullest? What are some things you can do differently to be more strategic with your social media marketing? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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