Social Media - Putting the Face Back into Business

Social media is a very powerful tool for businesses of any size and it can be a particularly positive tool for the small to medium (SME) sector.? A pet hate of a surprisingly large number of consumers is the ?faceless? aspect of large corporations and one downside of the internet is that faceless is standard for online trading.? Social media can help any business to put some of that ?face? back into the equation.

The Rules of Word of Mouth

Social media is nothing new; at least the techie bit is, but the principle isn?t.? In darker days, when I worked for one of those large faceless corporations, we were regularly told that one bad experience with a company gets passed on ten times and a good one may only be passed on once.? Social Media sites can be the nuclear option for consumers; one bad experience can now be circulated rapidly amongst thousands of people.? On the upside, for businesses, a good experience can get the same treatment.

Professional Body Parts

There are plenty of examples of those large faceless corporations and public bodies getting caught with their pants down on social media.? In the old days, the recreational use of the office photocopier at the Christmas party didn?t usually result in said body part being advertised to your client base, but was limited to your embarrassed and hung over staff.? Not anymore.? Face Book and any other social networking site should be approached with due care and attention.? It can be useful to link to your staff?s personal pages, but it?s a risky business. If you are a small firm there?s a sensible option; create professional pages on Face Book or Linkedin, where you can present a professional body part (your face for example) to your clients or potential clients.

Who?s Who? Where to Find Them?

The conversation, as they say, is now largely on social networking sites; your product should determine where and what conversations you join.? Pinterest and Fancy, Facebook and Twitter, all have their different audiences; the latter two are more ?general? in terms of users.? There?s more research involved when it comes to promoting yourself and gathering a following on these, while sites like Pinterest or Fancy can be a good places to find just the customers you are looking for and promote yourself to your target audience.

Commitment-Phobes Beware

Currently, the demographic in internet-land is still top heavy in favour of the young.? In about twenty years this will adjust to a more balanced and representative mix of society in general, although the internet itself will have changed beyond all recognition.? Social networking sites are currently most popular with the age range 0-30 but that is expanding all the time.? Your product and your social networking activity should be taken into consideration when considering a full-on marketing campaign with a large social networking element.? However, once you have thrown in your lot with the tech savvy youth, don?t neglect them.? If you join the conversation you need to keep it going.? Respond and interact with users on your pages and keep at it.? Renowned for their short attention spans, internet users require constant cultivation.? Before rushing to make social networking a part of your strategy, be sure you are ready for the commitment.

Putting Yourself in Other People?s Pockets

Social media and networking are putting the human into the world of the web.? Twenty years ago computers were things you used at work, not carried around in your pocket.? Today, they are everywhere and they?re always on.? We live an increasingly wired life and, for businesses, this world of the web is where the opportunities lie.? The rise in the face behind the screen is what social networking is about and getting those virtual eyes on your products is a fine art, but an increasingly essential one.

Simon Wilson blogs about small business, covering everything from advice for entrepreneurs to QuickBooks Payroll software tutorials. When he?s not online Simon enjoys visiting his local cinema and taking to his bike to cycle the countryside.

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