It’s no secret that social networking sites today act as a marketing and business platform, while being indispensible to smaller businesses. Apart from being inexpensive compared to traditional marketing and advertising methods, social media today offers a unique platform to build relationships between customers, employees, suppliers and their businesses. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are proving to be an essential tool in creating an online presence, regardless of how new and small the business is. Here are 7 unique social networking strategies you can leverage for small sized businesses.
Social media prospecting
Social media offers an almost infinite database of prospects for customers, employees and suppliers. Ditch the age old methods of prospecting and rely on social media to fill in your needs. However, you should learn the appropriate ways to approach someone on social media before you jump into business talk.
Talent acquisition
Since most social networking sites have no membership fee or other costs, acquiring talent on Facebook and LinkedIn can be very simple. Adopt different strategies to search for potential hires on the social media sphere and you can cut down significantly on expensive services.
Brand awareness
Building brand awareness on social networks is a great way to utilise the untapped potential of social media. With the help of social media professionals and advertising consultants, you can establish a branding campaign that is both effective and inexpensive. With simple steps like sponsored widgets, interactive programs and a constant online presence, brand awareness is accessible today. You should however ensure to create a detailed plan, especially if you are a smaller company, to ensure that you don’t waste resources.
Creating social media widgets
Social media widgets aren’t rocket science but can work wonders for your online presence. They offer many opportunities to market yourself and add value to your brand. Whether you choose readymade widget options or build one yourself, using this simple feature can get you a much wider exposure.
Customer-centric social network
If you want to offer superior customer service, building an independent social network is the best way to go. Show your customers that you offer support and value their feedback, leading you to build better products. Although a customised social network is a bit risky, you should decide whether or not this added step can enhance your customer service and help you retain your best consumers!
Connecting with employees
User driven innovation is always a good thing and encouraging your employees to use social networking can help you reach your marketing goals. The key here is to encourage the use and not misuse of social networking. Ensure your employees are connected to the company’s social network and give them a voice. Develop internal policies to keep the best of social media and optimise productivity, security and privacy.
Employee / Supplier-centric network
Social media is a great place to build a network or community of employees and suppliers. An internal social network dedicated to suppliers, employees etc can help your company stay in touch with your team. By becoming accessible to your employees, you are improving job satisfaction and employee retention. Like any relationship, socialising is an important factor that adds to the quality of work.
