How Can I Use Social Media to Grow my Business?

Throughout our lives, we have all had to learn new skills.  Once that “light-bulb” moment arrives and we finally understand how to do it, it becomes easier.  We then perform that skill repeatedly until it becomes second nature.

Learning how to utilize the marketing power of Social Media is no different. I remember well when a friend suggested I begin using Facebook and writing blogs.  My first question was, “What would I write about?”  It was challenging at the beginning.  I did not think anyone would care what I had to say.  I was surprised and pleased to find they did!

If you are new to internet marketing industry, there are a few things you need to know…

1.     You can only truly learn how to proceed on social media by doing it.

No matter what you have read or how many other networkers have helped you, you will actually begin participating and posting to understand completely.  You will learn once you join a few sites, i.e. Facebook, Twitter and IBOToolbox, and comment on others’ posts and begin sharing your own stories or information.

2.     It may take a while.

Once you are participating regularly on various forums and other social media sites, do not expect that you will suddenly see results.  Sorry folks, but you likely will acquire few or no friends or connections or make any sales during the first few days, or even weeks.  It takes time to build your internet presence and gain followers and friends.  Social Media marketing is actually relationship marketing.  I have seen people become successful after it took them three months before their first sale.  .

3.     Do not become discouraged.

It is common and quite easy to become disheartened when you spend hours on social media sites and no one connects with you.  First, your posts and blogs will improve in time.  The more you participate, the more skilled you will become.  The more skilled you become, the more people will notice and connect with you.

You must KNOW that you will grow your internet presence as time goes on.  Do not allow yourself to become disheartened.  Your continued momentum forward will serve you well.

4.  Read others’ posts and blogs.

Part of your learning process should include reading lots of blogs and comments.  By doing this, you will learn how other people post and what they write about.  It will help you see the myriad topics about which you can write.

Social Media marketing is not a quick process, but once you gather followers and connections, you’ll be happy with the results.  Be persistent, diligent and patient.  If you are, it will be well worth the time and effort you invest.

Are You Taking Advantage of the Power of Social Media Branding?

I recently spent some time reading over some statistics about social media branding.  Knowing these statistics can guide us to know which sites are the most active, what age groups participate on various sites and much more.  I’d like to share a few of these stats. 

·        If your product or service is best for a particular gender or age groups, it may be beneficial for you to know that 71% of all females use social media, while 62% of males use social media.    The largest age group that is active on these sites is between 18-29 years of age at 83%.  Of those who are 30-49 years old, 77% use social media.  Fifty-two percent are in the 50-64 age groups, while only 32% are 65 or older. 

·        To capture the largest audience, it can definitely help to know the time of day that the most people frequent various sites.  These times may vary, but in general, these are the high-traffic times for the most popular social media sites.  

o   Facebook: Traffic is highest between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET;

o   Twitter, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET is best;

o   Google+ has the most traffic between 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. ET;

o   On Pinterest, Saturday morning is the very best time to post, but between 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET there is also high traffic. 

o   LinkedIn: It is best to post here before or after business hours.  The best times are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET or 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET 

·        80% of active users on Pinterest are female, and 50% of those have children. 

·        Among marketers who use social media for their business, 85% do so for increased exposure; 69% strive to increase their website traffic; 58% use it to generate leads; 55% believe social media will improve their search engine ranking; 46% reduce their marketing expenses using these sites; and 40% prefer social media marketing to improve their sales. 

·        Social networks now reach 82% of the world’s internet population. It may be helpful to consider that 133 million Americans read blogs regularly; Facebook has 800 million active users; two-hundred-thirty million people are on Twitter; and LinkedIn users now total 135 million. 

I read about far more numbers than these, but there were dozens of pages, so I’ll limit this post to these few.  By studying these statistics, you may wish you adjust your social media marketing.  Posting at different times than when you have been or on different social media sites.  I plan to do so to determine if the changes reflect increased traffic and/or sales.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

 

Please visit my Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/XpressHealthcareTheWinnersCircle

 

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare® Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

Rules of Engagement

As long as people have engaged in commerce, they have generally done business with people they liked and trusted.  Today, with online social networking, we can become acquainted with people worldwide.  This has opened up a whole new mode of promoting our businesses.

A very powerful way to market businesses, especially home businesses is “relationship marketing.”  Using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, IBOToolbox and others, we can connect with potential customers and business partners. 

With relationship marketing, we primarily focus on building and sustaining mutually beneficial associations.  We can also establish friendships with people who may never have any interest in our product or business.  We can learn from some of our contacts and educate others.

The most important thing to remember is that we are using social media.  The name is a clue as to how to behave on these sites.  Don’t just jump in and start promoting your product.  Remember that I began this post by saying that people do business with those they like and trust, and it can take time to develop a relationship. 

Participate on social media sites with relevant information.  Your posts can be educational, newsworthy, humorous, interesting or helpful.  Those with whom you are establishing a relationship want to know about you, so include your opinions, information about your background, perhaps a little about your family.  Always keep your posts positive, and avoid controversial topics.  It is very important to include photograph of yourself as part of your profile.  Your profile picture should not be your logo or an avatar.  People want to know that there is a real person writing to them.

Remember that it is not always about you. Ask questions and get to know your contacts.  We’re sowing seeds.  Any one of the relationship seeds we plant may turn out to know someone who needs your product or who is seeking a business just like yours.

As I said earlier, don’t begin selling too soon. Find a balance between sharing your information and sharing other people’s. Being social is the first step, and eventually people will begin asking questions about your business. 

Don’t be surprised if it takes a few months to establish enough relationships to benefit your business.  Be patient and get to know people.  I have built my business almost entirely through social media.  Your patience will prove worthwhile.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

       Please visit my Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/XpressHealthcareTheWinnersCircle

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare™ Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com. 

Why should I blog?

Blogging improves your Search Engine Optimization, bringing more prospects to your website.  Your SEO will only improve only if you keep the content fresh.  It is necessary to add new, updated posts frequently.   If your blog site is inactive, your SEO ranking will not increase. 

Most people already use Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.  To improve your Social Media Optimization, write and maintain a blog.  Creating relationships on social media sites can drive traffic to your website.  However, writing a blog can drive even more.

Blogs can be an important way to generate high-quality leads.  People who follow your blogs will discover that you sell a product or are offering a business opportunity.  Some of those people will ask you for information or visit your website. Some of those people may become customers or team members.   

By using keywords and phrases in your blog, it will extend the reach of your brand.   Branding both yourself and your business is important to the success of your business; by using keywords in your blogs you’ll bring more people to them, thus further promoting your brand.

Using quotes, poems or miscellaneous material from others’ websites is not against any rules, but you MUST credit the original author and website.  However, until you grow a following with your blog, it is not a good idea.  Even then, the majority of the content on your blogs should be original.    

Social media is great for brief interactions.  Blogging allows you to connect more with your friends, followers, readers and prospects in more depth.  If you’re active on social media sites, it is likely that your connections would like to know more about you.  A blog offers the opportunity to reveal more about yourself so people will begin to feel more like they “know” you.  You can include a link to your blog site in your email signature, on your Twitter bio and Facebook profile.

If you have never written a blog and don’t think you can, make a commitment to yourself to begin writing a blog this week to help you grow as business person.  No one will grade your writing or judge you.  You need not blog every day.  Once or twice a week is sufficient, particularly if your time is limited.

The benefits of blogging to you and your business go beyond those I’ve written here.  Try it, you’ll like it!

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

If it works for them, no one should stop marketing in the “traditional” ways.  However, for those who are not yet doing so, the following statistics show how important social media marketing has become over the past few years.  Since you are reading this, you obviously visit social networking sites.  If you are not yet using social network marketing, I must ask, why not? 

I have been using social media marketing for a couple years, but still, I was surprised by these figures.  Compiled from a variety of websites, you will see a list of stats below regarding marketing via social networking sites.  These statistics were gleaned from websites of Experian, HubSpot, Socialbakers, Syncapse, Compete, Twitter, American Express, Ipsos, and Nielsen.

·        On Facebook, 85% of fans of brands recommend them to others, compared to 60% of average users.

·        Of all the time spent on the internet in the U.S., 27% of that time is spent on social networking sites.

·        Among marketers, 74% say Facebook is an important source of their lead generation.

·        48% of women and 43% of men regularly check out a brand's social page.

·        Trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail and PPC’s produce about half the number of leads as social network marketing.

·        In 2013, 43% of all marketers have found a customer via LinkedIn; 52% of all marketers acquired a customer through Facebook; and 36% of all marketers found a customer through Twitter.

·        U.S. mobile internet time spent on social networking sites accounts for about 15% of the total time spent.

·        The conversion rate for social media leads are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate.

·        When making a purchase decision, about 46% of online users refer to social media.

·        Brand posts on Facebook get half of their reach within 30 minutes of being posted.  

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.