ADNET Audio & Internet Advertising

Entering the brave new world of social networking to promote your business can be daunting but is necessary as the number of users escalates to over 300 million.  If you can’t deal with it then employ someone.

If you’re unsure of how best to utilise this means of communication then the best idea is to sign up and follow your competitors.  What types of things are they saying?  Do their “tweets” or “blogs” draw your attention?  How could you do it better?

And as you are studying these things  keep in the back of your mind a few basic questions to consider as you formulate your social networking strategy:

1.    What are the needs of my business? Figure out what your needs are. Are you short-staffed? Is your advertising budget running thin?

2.    What am I using the site for? Consider the primary goal of your social networking strategy. Do you want to recruit employees for a certain department? Do you want to market a new line of products? Do you want to connect to more people in your industry?

3.    Whose attention am I trying to get? Say you want to market a new line of products.  Who are your target audience for that product?

Marketing through social networks isn’t as much about selling your product, as it is about engaging your followers. The goal of the community-based environment of social networking sites is to provide a platform for an open, honest conversation.   The idea is to gather “followers” and frequently post related content.  This content appears on your fans pages every time they login.

‘Fan’ features your company should be using:

1.     Comment on other users’ content or profile posts. By responding to what your followers post to your profile, you show them that you appreciate their interaction. If they know they have your attention, they’ll keep coming back.

2.     Ask questions on your wall. Facebook users love to be heard. It can be surprising how many responses one question can elicit.

3.     Posting links or threads. If you have any content that you want to circulate quickly, the fan page is the perfect tool.  The phrase “it’s gone viral” means that many many people have seen it!

4.     Posting relevant events. By posting upcoming events your company may be part of or hosting, you can help drive more attendees to the function. And for those who can’t come, they get a glimpse at how active your business is within the community or industry.