When you’re a struggling entrepreneur, your business takes over your world as you try to boost your brand and broaden your customer base. Past entrepreneurs used to rely on traditional marketing, such as billboard or newspaper advertising, but today’s platform resides squarely on social media. From “liking” a company to “following” it, consumers are closer than ever to favorite businesses. You simply need to get your business into the online discussion world with a few key strategies.
Start with Your Website
With websites being necessary in today’s business world, you need to use your site in a calculated manner. Your site support usually comes with analytics or data breakdown. Go over all this information to understand customer movement through your pages. You’ll find patterns of access to favorite products, services or links, for instance. With this information, you can boost sales by concentrating on popular items and expanding their availability in the marketplace.
Got Status Updates
Social media isn’t just for updating a profile with baby pictures and family reunions. From Facebook to Twitter, worldwide conversations are made famous on this virtual platform. Set up and actively use one or several social media outlets to advertise and converse with customers. When you actively engage people, they feel more comfortable with your brand and look for it subconsciously on their daily travels. You’ll even find people advertising for you as they “tag” your company in pictures and posts about a night out or a fun day. Businessmen like Glen Gonzalez are great examples of successful entrepreneurs who use social media.
Go with the Trends
Social platforms, such as Twitter, have specific pages noting trending topics. Don’t ignore these topics but embrace them. If there’s a topic remotely related to your business, join in on the conversation to drum up more business. Using keywords, hashtags and tagging only boosts your visibility as a business. However, always use a professional tone with any communication platform. Alienating customers with negative posts is detrimental to the business and remains online indefinitely.
Incorporate Mobile Apps
Social media also touches on mobile applications or apps. Your website is accessible by anyone with a broadband connection, but a full-page site is difficult to navigate on a small smartphone. Consider adding a mobile component to your website to generate even more traffic. The mobile section provides the basics for people on the go. Store locators and menus, for example, are core parts of a restaurant app. Even link out to your social media accounts to round out your virtual presence.
Attention to Reviews
There are several popular review sites that people use and reference everyday. Look up your business periodically to see real reviews about service and quality. If there are any issues noted, you are often welcome to respond as the official company representative. Showing you care about an issue and possibly resolving it tells the customer you’re in tune with today’s technology and your customers’ needs. The customer may change their mind about your company with some personal service.
Takeaway
The virtual world is a powerful tool for any entrepreneur to explore. Start out your new adventure with slow calculation. Trying to take on too much could make the business appear too spontaneous or questionable. Slow growth and social media integration only help your name become a familiar sight for thousands of potential customers.
Image Credit: Next TwentyEight
