Many people starting their own online businesses fail to realize the importance of social networking sites. In their personal life, they may either hate them or find themselves spending too much time on them. So they ignore the value in terms of business and more specifically in reaching their audience and building their subscriber base.
There are many tools in which to build and grow your business. But social networking has grown to an amazing number and is growing at a very fast pace among all age groups. Social networking sites are fertile ground for new subscribers, so you need to embrace this as a hot spot for your business growth.
Social networks connect you and your business directly to your prospects and customers. They give you an opportunity to provide value to them, brand your company, establish credibility, and sell your products and/or services. You will reach a whole new group of people by having an online presence. It is also a very cost-effective form of marketing and helps you keep up with your competitors.
There are many social networks online. You might even find some specific to your niche! We’re going to cover the big ones and show you how to use them to build trust and relationships that convert into a larger, loyal list of subscribers. We’ll start with Facebook and cover Twitter, Google Plus, Forums, and then Pinterest. So be sure to come back!
Facebook is still one of the hottest social networking sites in existence. But many marketers use it all wrong and don’t see the results they want, eventually abandoning it.
First off, never use your personal Facebook account for your business workings. As your business grows and you have more people “friending” you, you’ll run out of room. Instead, create a business page and profile. Facebook only allows 5,000 friends per personal Facebook account. Many marketers have reached that limit and then had to delete people and move them over to a fan page. Launch your fan page and have your prospective subscribers sign up there.
You want to promote your Facebook fan page from your blog along with all of your other web account links. Also, include them as part of your email signature and in newsletters so people can choose to follow you there.
So what will you post on your new fan page? Well, you can post some of the following for starters:
• Links back to your blog with a short commentary about it.
• Memes or quotes – because images do very well virally on Facebook.
• Questions to ask of your fans to generate a conversation.
• Facts about your niche – short quick facts and tips they can “Like” and “Share.”
• You want to install the opt-in form onto your Facebook fan page too so that it’s always ready for your new fans to subscribe.
Aside from posting in your own fan page, you want to expose your presence here to others on Facebook. That means you sign in as your page and then sign-up to follow other pages in the same niche. When you participate as your page on other people’s pages or in groups, sharing good information as a participant, people will see that and click on your fan page and sign-up for your page. This gets them exposure to your opt-in form as well.
One thing that’s great about Facebook is the viral nature of it without people even meaning for it to be viral. Facebook has a way of showing your friends your activities – even if all you do is like or comment on something without sharing it.
Let’s say you have a niche Facebook fan page about low-carb dieting. You have Jane Doe, who signs up to your page and loves your lessons. Every time she comments or “Likes” a post, her friends on her personal page see it. If her friends are curious, they can click on the activity notice and see the post where it took place. Then they have the option of heading to your page, “Liking” it, seeing your opt-in and becoming a new subscriber.
Facebook is an active, growing and thriving community, and it’s not just for kids. In fact, middle-aged men and women are one of the largest growing communities online and they’re a lucrative audience.
