I’m not a marketing expert. I’m not an expert in social media such as Facebook and Twitter. I’m learning as I go.
While talking to some friends, I asked if any of them used Twitter or Facebook.
My friend told me about Bettie’s Cakes. Bettie’s Cakes has a store in Saratoga Springs, NY and they have a double decker bus that drives around the Capitol District selling cupcakes. They use Twitter to tell people where the bus will be and when. Usually, when they pull up in a parking lot in a mall, there are already dozens of cars waiting for them. They apparently sell about 12,000 cupcakes a week with the bus. At about $2.00 each, that’s about $24,000 per week. Not bad.
The story got me interested in the power of social network marketing.
The two major social networking sites are Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is a complete social system with a lot of interaction between users, called Friends. Facebook has an astonishing 500 million registered users! Twitter allows people to broadcast short text messages to as many people who want to receive them. Both systems have added cell phone integration.
How can a business use them?
Here’s where Facebook is good for business.
Once you have an account, you can set up what Facebook calls “Pages” for your business, group, rock band, church, local government, etc. Setting up a Page is very easy. If you know how to use the internet you can set up a Page. There is no technical skill required.
You can put up very basic information about your business, such as address, the goods or services you perform, phone number, hours of operation, etc. You can also put up photos, videos, or notes on your Page.
Here’s where it gets really powerful. Once your Page is set up, ask a few of your friends to “Like” your page. Once they Like your page, they become a “fan”. Now, every time you update your Page, your fans will get a message on their Facebook home page. So, for example, if you introduce a new product, you can simply post a message about it, or put up photos, press release, or any other piece of information. Then, all of your fans will be notified in seconds.
Viral marketing
If you have a really popular product, your fans will tell their friends, and word will spread. Fast. The name for this is “viral marketing” – word spreads about your product like a virus.
There really isn’t anything else like it.
You can also interact with your fans. They can comment on your updates, and you can write back and engage in conversations, either publicly or privately.
Remember that number: 500 million.
Twitter is very popular for mobile food vendors. Like Bettie’s Cakes, they post their whereabouts on Twitter and people meet them and buy their products.
Features and benefits of using social networks for a business
Features
1. Free – Facebook, Twitter and other services are free to use.
2. Easy to use – no technical skill required.
3. Very popular – you are tapping into a huge population of active users
Benefits
1. Since these services are free, you can acquire new customers for far less money than any other marketing tool out there. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising and these services amplify word of mouth to hundreds, thousands even millions of people very quickly.
2. Easy to use – you can establish an online presence quickly without having to hire a computer geek. You can stay in control of your Pages. You don’t have to wait for your web designer to make the changes you want done right away. You can experiment with different promotions, quickly see what works and what doesn’t. If you already have a website, Facebook will bring more people to your site. If you don’t have a website, Facebook lets you get on the internet for free. Your Facebook page will show up in search results like Google so people can find you and find out more about your company.
3. By getting on Facebook, you are joining an enormous community. And, if you’re product is attractive to them, they will spread the word for you. It can be like one big free chain mail service. Your customers are advertising for you.
Conclusion
If you don’t have a website, set up a Facebook Page right now. There is no excuse not to, unless you don’t want to make more money.
Twitter is an excellent choice for fast breaking short text messages. You can announce one day sales, or even one hour sales.
Don’t forget, your customers can “unlike” you as fast as they like you. Once they unlike you, they are no longer a fan and they won’t see your updates. So, don’t abuse the system or overload it with useless information.
