Social media is free, you all know that and most probably you have all the social media tools that I am going to cover in this post. But this post will take a reboot on how we can use the free social media tools to improve our business.
The main goal for social media should be spreading your name/your business name further and get people interested in what you have to say. When you have the audience you can bring in sales -that’s plain simple.
CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY FIRST!
There is no benefit of social media without a plan; it may end up eating your precious time and energy with no output. Don’t just create pages just to be there and have a link benefit, make it count. Try to create a community. For this you make a plan. Such as what you will be posting in facebook, who will be your page audience, what problem they have and how you will solve it?
1. Make the most of Facebook
You must have a facebook profile or even a page, but are you doing it right? Don’t just make it stand alone, make it active and drive people to interact with it. Keep your facebook “personal profile” to a personal level and only share a small hint on what you are doing, because if you only post professional updates, then chances are your friends will ignore you.
Create a business page in facebook and update every day, invite your friends to join and use a page box on your website. And you don’t have to stop there; there are groups and events in FB.
Create a community group around your business model and let the member share their opinion. Create an event for an actual even in your business/store. These things will attract valuable members that will turn into paying customers in the future.
2. Use your YouTube account
You like to watch videos on YouTube right? So it will be better to create an account for your business and use it as default one. Roam across the network and do what you were doing before. An active account is better than an inactive one. Create content if you want subscribers.
Create screencast videos that I used to do in my old Thesis YouTube channel. Create tutorials, tips and how-to videos –they are the best. You can use screenr.com to record and upload your screen cast videos online.
If you can create videos where you will be talking in front of the camera, then that is even better. Create videos that solve problems and you will be a hit. You can also create a video log (vlog) that are good in demand right now.
3. Use Skype for business
Skype was not a social media tool, until recently it added facebook functionality. Skype is a business tool, a must have. It allows you to voice and video call through computers. We use it to talk with our clients across the world.
You can use skype to call, chat and share screen or even for working together.
4. Update your Linkedin profile
Many of us have a standalone linkedin page that does nothing. Even my own linkedin page was doing nothing for few years now. It is time for you to update it and get connected. Search using your email address and connect with professionals. Linkedin is a good tool for business and getting work.
Use linkedin Companies to create a company page for your business. There are new widgets that helps you promote your/company profile on your website.
5. Auto update your Twitter profile
Virtually almost every tech savvy people now days have twitter. Twitter allows you to send a small text update to your followers. What you can do with twitter is to create a good profile and follow other people in your industry. Put your twitter account to auto tweet your facebook/youtube updates. For some people twitter is a one stop place for receiving all the activities in one place.
Monitor who is tweeting about you and send them a reply back and start a conversation. Do not spend much time on twitter, just go there once a day for a chit chat.
6. Write a blog that people care about
Your blog makes no sense if it is full of random pics and what’s happening in your business. People don’t care about you unless you are a company like CocaCola or Intel. For small business owners, make a blog that will help people and keep your them interested.
A blog is the modern way to increase pages and bring in loads of traffic. To make it count, you have to go an extra mile every day. If you are a pet care service, write tips on how people can take better care of dogs when they are sick. If you install AC’s then write a tutorial on how to DO IT YOURSELF AC installation. Make the blog about your industry and people will care about what you have to say. Additionally have comment section, put social media sharing buttons on your blog.
7. Use the new Google+ (Plus)
Google+ is a new social media community, just like facebook. Now people are more social and within the first few weeks people are actively using it. Make use of the new social media tool, post about your services and blog entries. Use google +1 (plus one) button on your website, get more +1’s.
8. Share photos on Flickr
With a free flickr account you can create your photo stream or photo blog. Upload pics and post info about your business and link to it. People like to see pictures of people and stuff. Use the flickr service at its best. If you are a photographer, then flickr is a must in improving your business.
9. Broadcast using LiveStream
With the help of LiveStream.com you can create a live feed of event, course, seminar or even a show. Create a webinar and broadcast it online. For an example if you give guitar lessons, then host a free course online. You can also share your screen for a live screen-cast. If you are having a live event, then broadcast it through the web.
10. MailChimp for free email marketing
With a free account at MailChimp.com, you can have upto 2,000 email subscribers. Create a small e-newsletter and send your email. You can give away a free ebook or a video when they subscribe.
The benefit of mailchimp is that it’s free and easy to use. You can also put your blog RSS to auto send your blog posts through email. This will help you to build your list.
Know about any other free tools?
What helps you best in improving your business? What are the tools that you use most? Please share it on the comments section. Also share it using the social media links below please,
