A Company Cannot Exist on Social Media Alone

There's more to a marketing strategy than social media

When it comes to social media, anyone looking to promote a business, product, or service should definitely have a strong presence on sites like Twitter and Facebook. But relying on social media alone to gain business exposure isn’t a good idea. If you want optimal results, you will need a well-rounded business plan that attacks all mediums of exposure.

• If you’re already on social media sites, make sure you’re tweeting and posting regularly on every account you have set up. Initiate conversations with your fans and followers and make sure you respond when they talk to you. Try to engage with your followers on a daily basis by posting interesting content and links to informative articles. If you’re not yet on social media sites, make sure you set up your accounts ASAP. Developing a strong following takes time, so don’t expect results overnight. Instead, be patient and make growing your presence on social media part of your everyday routine.

• Don’t forget about the power of press releases. Press releases are a great way to announce a new product or service or highlight important company news. You can incorporate SEO keywords into your press releases too, making them easier for your target audience to find them. There are free press release distribution sites out there, so do some homework and submit your press releases to a few of them. You can also pay a company to do this for you as well as post press releases on your company’s website and/or blog. (Be sure to send out an update or tweet on Facebook and/or Twitter with a link to the press release to gain more readers). Here’s an article with more in-depth tips on how to distribute a press release: Effective Free Press Release Distribution in 5 Easy Steps

• Email newsletters and announcements are an easy way to reach hundreds (if not thousands) of potential and past customers. The key is making your newsletter content interesting enough that it doesn’t get thrown into the trash bin the second it hits their inbox. If you’re not a great writer, hire one. Make the content interesting, informative, witty, or funny depending on your product or service and eventually your customers will look forward to seeing your newsletter pop up in their inbox. Don’t have enough customer email addresses to send out a newsletter? Why not offer a special email-only discount that requires customers to sign up for your newsletter to receive? Again, you can cross-promote this on your blog and social media sites. Here’s a helpful article on email newsletter writing: How to Write Email Newsletter Articles Your Audience Wants to Read

For help growing your business, check out Voice of North America, a site where you can blog about your products and services in all 50 states. You’ll gain exposure on the search engines and increase quality linkbacks to your website or blog.

Creepy or Cool? Social Networking Vehicles of the Future

The Ford Evos is smart enough to unlock the door for you. It just doesn't want to.

When it comes to new technology, especially something highly advanced, do you welcome it with open arms or are you a bit wary? I read an article today titled Ford Evos, the Social Networking Vehicle of the Future by Charlie White and I thought it might be an interesting topic to discuss.

Designers of the Ford Evos want it to be able to not only socially connect with its driver’s friends, but also be able to recommend alternate routes the driver should be taking. The Evos will even potentially be able to continue the song you had been listening to inside your home! This is in addition to the vehicle learning your work schedule and adjusting handling, heating, cooling, and more to fit your preferences all on its own.

Sounds cool in theory, right? Maybe I’ve read too much Sci-Fi stuff, but when a vehicle is that smart, it scares me a little. I mean, what happens if your fancy new Ford Evos becomes self-aware like Skynet? What then, Ford designers?

What if the Evos decides one day that it’s sick of your work schedule and decides to give you an “alternate route” that makes you late for work? Worse, what if your Evos decides it’s sick of you and tries to burn you to death by refusing to unlock the doors and adjusting your heater and seat warmers to the hottest setting? What if all Evos unite to form a revolution in which their only goal is to annihilate all humans by running them over?

Am I the only one who thinks this way? What are your thoughts on the vehicles of the future? They could be here sooner than you think!

Social Media, Blogging, and You

Even wild horses shouldn't be able to keep you away from social media.

Remember Myspace? It was pretty much the first social networking site to gain an enormous following. However, most Myspace users were young – my guess would be under 25 at least – with most being much younger. This would mean that only businesses whose products or services related to a younger demographic would benefit from having an account or advertising on there.

But with Twitter and Facebook now leading the pack, the game has completely changed. More and more adults are now using both social networking sites on a regular basis. In fact, I received a Facebook request from my Mom just a few days ago—the jury’s still out on whether or not I’m going to accept that request! My cousins (of ages ranging from 26-39) and aunts and uncles (ages 55+) are all on there as well.

Just today, I read an article titled Adult Use of Social Media Soars by Sarah E. Needleman. She noted that 65% of all U.S. adults now use social media accounts and on a typical day, 43% of those adults say they visit sites like Facebook and Twitter.

If you’re a business owner, this news should be very interesting to you. This means that you’re now able to reach a huge demographic through social media and effectively target your intended audience, no matter what their age range is. It seems that pretty much everyone is using social media sites—if your business isn’t represented on them, you’re losing out on exposure, consumer interaction, and potential profit. 

If you’re a blogger, promoting your blog on social media sites is a very valuable tool. Whether your blog is just for fun or for profit, marketing yourself on sites like Facebook and Twitter make for a more personal experience for your readers and help you gain more followers.

I read a blog that I love called The Fitnessista on a daily basis and I’ve made sure that I’m also a fan on her Facebook and a follower on her Twitter account. I know right away when she posts a new blog because she updates both accounts and she also posts different content on her social media sites that cannot be found on her blog. If you do the same, you’re going to gain exposure and keep your current readers engaged.

What social media sites beyond Twitter and Facebook have you found to be the most beneficial to you?

If you’re having trouble getting found on the search engines, you might want to consider enlisting some outside help by visiting http://www.voiceofnorthamerica.com/. Voice of North America is a great way to market your business, gain exposure, and reach potential customers. You’ll get to blog on their site in all 50 states, helping you get found on search engines and increase your web (or blog) traffic drastically!