2011 SMALL BUSINESS REPORTFacebook, Twitter, and Blogs HomeHow To Turn Posts and Tweets
Into
Dollars
And
Cents
Why
Social
Media
means
money
in
your
pocket. |
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Social Media Commentary
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How
to
turn
posts
and
tweets
into
dollars
and
cents
Why
Social
Media
means
money
in
your
pocket.
- My wife and I have been involved in travel for over 25 years. In that time we have seen a revolution in travel technology that has changed the industry forever. And now "Social Media" is all the rage. Facebook, My Space, Twitter, and Blogs. Millions of them, all over the internet.
As a
small
business,
we
were
skeptical
of
the
whole
thing.
Something
young
adults
and
teens
due
to
keep from
getting
board,
we
said.
Not
something
a
serious
entrepreneur
would
waste
time
on.
So
we
waited
and
waited,
until,
low
and
behold,
just
about
every
major
media
outlet
like
CNN
and
every
airline,
hotel,
car
rental
agency,
cruise
line,
travel
agent,
travel
blogger,
travel
writer,
cruise
reviewer
and cruise
travelers who
express
interest
in
travel,
have
their profiles
on
Twitter,
a
Facebook
page
and
a
Blog.
Each
with
thousands
of
followers
and have
staff
spending
hours
each
day
writing "tweets",
articles
for
their
Blog
and
responding
to
people
who
post
and
respond
to
their
comments..
Needless
to
say,
embracing this
new
technology
and
social
process
came
late
for
us.
But
in
the
process,
we
learned
how
to
make
this
new
way
of
communication
work
for
our
business.
And
so,
we
want
to
share this
story on
how you
can
also
monetize
social
media
for
your
business,
for
your
brand.
How
to
turn
your
posts
and
tweets
into
dollars
and
cents.
Not
just
for
travel-related
companies,
but
for
all
type
of
business.
After
all,
that's
what
we
are
in
business
for...
to
create
products,
services,
jobs,
and
wealth.
It used to be, the only way you could get free publicity or get the word about about your companies, products or serviced was to hire a a good public relations firm, have them issue some "timely" press releases, or get a feature article published about you or your company. Otherwise, you just spent money to make money. You bought advertising. lots of it. Study the demographics. Do the "reach and frequency" thing. Be heard on the radio, seen on TV and in print. Spend a lot of money. Sometimes it worked, often just with limited or no success.
On
the
web,
to
be
successful,
you
have
to
be
good
at spreading
the
news
" word
of
mouth"
internet
style.
Social
media,
is
after
all,
free
advertising.
You
don't
need
to
spend
any
money
at
all
to launch
a
Facebook
page;
you
don't
have
to
spend
a
dime
of
your
ad
budget
to
set
up a
Twitter
account.
So
use
it. If
you
do
it
right,
what
have
you
got
to
loose?
On
the
Internet,
it's
possible to
reach
a
new
audience
for
your
company
or
your
product.
A Global
audience.
There
is
no
need
to
just
depend
on
your
local
neighborhood
customer
base
anymore.
Today consumers have access to reviews and opinions about your company or brand, and they can read thousands of articles, and product reviews, that impact their buying decision. So, using Social Media is just one way to get the word out and increase sales.
Social
Media
lets
customers
and
prospects get
a
sense
and
"feel"
for
your
company’s
people,
services,
and
insight
into
what
makes
your
company
unique. Social
Media
is an
opportunity
to
provide
a
more
personal
side
of
your
business.
The
human
side.
But
how
do
you
capitalize
on
the
value
of
Social
Media
for
your
business while
not
wasting
time?
First,
a
word
of
caution.
Don't
use
social
media
to
just
promote
yourself
or
your
products
or
services.
Nobody
wants
to
read
a
bunch
of "tweets"
disguised as
slick
ad
copy.
Don't
bore
me
to
death.
Don't
bombard me
with
useless
posts.
Don't
expect
overnight
results.
Nothing
in
life
is
that
easy.
To
be
successful
with
Social
Media,
you
have
to
be a
whole
lot
more.
And,
you
have
to
be
willing
to
put
the
time
in,
to
get
it
done
right.
Where
do
you
start?
First pick
a
topic.
Just
one.
One
that's
about
your
industry,
you
business,
a
topic that's
good
and
unique.
Now,
become
an
important
resource
( an
experts
of
sorts
)
for
your
customers
and
prospects,
for
the
people
who
follow
you,
who
are
interested
in
your
business.
Share
"Insider"
tips.
Create
a
dialogue
with
your
prospects
and
customers.
Everyone
has
an
opinion
these
days
and
they
like
to
express
it
for
all
to
read.
People
will
comment
on
each
blog
post
or
tweet
you
do. People
who
participate
may
be a
prospect,
may
not.
They
may
just agree
or
disagree
with your
views.
Either
way, use
social
media
and
you
will
soon
be
at
the
core
of
an
industry-relevant
discussion
with
customers
and
prospects.
That's
good
for
business.
Now, talk about all things related to your topic. Don't be tempted to wonder off. Stay focused on what you know best, stay away from the rest. Create and cultivate a unique online personality. Think of yourself and your company as as extension of your business, a voice in an ongoing dialogue with your customers or followers. Capture, then keep their interest. Give advice, post pictures, point links to others with similar interests. A good blog article offers industry-specific insight or can be a constructive critique. A good Blog article is interesting, entertaining informative, and not just focused on making a sale.
Every
article
you
write
in
your
blog,
is
another
opportunity
for
someone
to
find
you on
the
Internet.
When
writing
an
article, target
and
include keywords
and phrases
that
are
likely
to
draw
highly
qualified
prospects
to
your
web
site.
For
example,
blog your
review
after
sailing
on
the
inaugural
cruise
of world's
largest
cruise
ship,
Royal
Caribbean's
Allure
of
the
Seas.
You
may
not
draw
much broad-based
search
traffic,
but
there
is a
good
chance
your
blog
will
rank
well
for
searches
like
“cruise
reviews"
"
world's
largest
cruise
ship”,
"
Allure
of
the
Seas"
"cruise
deals"
and
those
visitors
may
be
highly
interested
in
your
critique
of
the
ship,
the
onboard
amenities,
shows,
shore
excursions,
cabins,
dining
and
staff.
As
you
probably
have
guessed,
we
will
be
doing
just
that.
No matter if you blog or tweet, respond quickly to comments, and never let up. Be visible every day. You cannot do this for just a weeks, and then quit. You have to be dedicated to the process, day in and day out. Depending upon your business, sometimes 7 days a week! Be patient. It will pay off.
In a
recent
interview
on
CNN,
Christine
Romans
interviewed
Mitch
Goldstone
who
has
tweeted
some
32,000
messages
and has
10,600
follows
on
twitter
for
him
and
his
business.
Goldstone
said
" If
you're
not
into
social
media,
social
networking,
you
will
be
out
business.
I'm
going
to
repeat
that.
You
will
be
out
of
business
if
you
don't
tweet,
use
Facebook
and
social
media
today".
We whole
heartily
agree.
Coming soon: 50 ways to leave your tweets and love it. |
