Social Media Week – Day 1 (for small businesses)

Jump on the social media bandwagon

Understand the Power of Social Media

Social media is a type of media that is used for social interaction. It is highly accessible (usually free) and can bee seen in many sizes by a huge amount of people. Social media turns communication of online technologies into an interactive dialogue. Some of the big players in social media are: – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Wikipedia, Blogs and Myspace.

Social Media is important for small businesses because it is free and it can reach a huge audience. Australians in particular are taking to social media very rapidly.

• A recent Nielsen study found Australia’s social media audience is estimated at 9.9 million. (1)

• 29% of all time spent online by Australians is on Facebook. (2).

• Twitter’s audience levels grew by more than 400% in 2009 . Audience has grown by approx. 45% in Australia in the past 12 months. (3).

• Australia has some of the highest social media usage statistics in the world. In terms of Facebook use Australia ranks highest with almost 9 hours per month from over 9 million users. (4).

The power of social media lies in the interaction between the business and their online network of customers.

Get people to your website…

Social Media is a great way to direct people to your website by providing relevant and valuable information that people will be interested in. They will recognise that the information that you are giving out for free is useful and want to see what else you have to offer.

Social media is like the new search engine. According to Hitwise social media and search traffic is now neck and neck. Social media was .4% behind search as an online category in Australia, Jan 2010. (5) People trust other people in their social network. If you can prove that you are a valuable member of the network people will notice this and it makes for a stronger referral than a search engine. It is a stronger referral because you have already broken through an emotional trust barrier.

• Your not just a list of search results.
• You are giving your company a personable face that people can relate to.
• Drive people to your website and build your database
• Follow the leaders of your industry

Know your competitors!

A great thing about social media is that you can check out what your competitors are doing. Search for your competitors and see what they are up to on Facebook and Twitter. Take note of what they are posting and how often. Are they posting news updates about their business? News on special events? Photos? Videos? Are they doing it right? Could you do better with you brand? This is a great place to start when formulating your new social media strategy. Always think about how your brand image. What do people think about your brand? Social media can be a huge part of developing and maintaining your brand.

It’s ALL FREE! – Social media is here to stay.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. All the social networks we are talking about are free to join. The longer you wait the more you put your business at a disadvantage. If you don’t know how to use Facebook look around your office – somebody there does.

• You can have an online presence in less than 20 minutes!
• Social media drives people to your website
• Social media lets your customers and potential customers quickly find out what’s going on with your company
• You need to get started, get involved

Its easy and its going to promote your business for FREE on one of the most popular most used websites in the WORLD!

Hopefully you are starting to realize that social media is a great way to get your company noticed on the internet even more. If you are already using social media for your business that is awesome but you need to make sure you are talking with the right people. There is no point interacting online with people without focusing on what your business offers in a non-invasive way. Talk with customers about their experiences with your business. Get raw feedback that will help you make your customers even happier. This is what social media is all about. Its good for everyone. Customers get better quality service and products whilst you build customer loyalty and improve your business at the same time!

Tune in tomorrow as we go over creating and building your business page on Facebook. In the meantime you need to check out this video on the SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION, and check out the resources we compiled below.

Come join our facebook event here. Now look at the videos!

VIDEOS!!!

Social Media Revolution 2 (Revolution)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng&feature=related

Social Media for small business – Interviews

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvsfLnQ2sUY

Social Media for Small Business – Daniel Priestley

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHFdHfqNMQ0

Social Media Strategy put simply! [link]

sources:

(1) >> //www.slideshare.net/readingroom/building-and-maintaining-a-social-media-strategy-smx-sydney2010

(2) >> //www.slideshare.net/nickbowditch/bay-business-breakfast-presentation-wednesday-27th-october-2010

(3) >> //digitalmarketinglab.com.au/index.php/2010/03/28/2010-australian-social-media-compendium/

(4) >> //thenextweb.com/au/2010/06/22/social-media-usage-worldwide-australia-brazil-lead-the-way/

(5) >> //digitalmarketinglab.com.au/index.php/2010/03/28/2010-australian-social-media-compendium/