Customers, where for art thou (in Social Media)?

Many business contact PUNCH!media for help because Social Media can be very overwhelming.

We’re starting out this year with a series of  easy steps to help you develop a strong presence in Social Media.

This week, we want to start by showing you where your customers (probably) are:

As you can see above, the blue business-to-business (B2B) statistics indicate that the most successful Social Media channels are LinkedIn (45%) and Company blog (43%).

This makes sense; LinkedIn is a platform designed for professional networking:

• Use your business connections on LinkedIn can help you turn a cold call into a warm introduction and connect you with your dream client.
• Answer questions and showcase yourself as the expert in your field.
• Join Groups that can help you connect with your target audience.
• Follow your dream clients and see who has been hired or who has moved on from that company.

Your company blog is designed to educate, entertain and engage your customers. It also helps you to:

• stay top-of-mind with your target audience
• showcase you/your business as experts in the industry
• create a personality for your brand
• increase number of visits to your site

For business-to-consumers (B2C) Social Media is a powerful force for customer service.  Particularly within the platforms of Facebook (68%), blogs (57%) and Twitter (51%).

If you’re not already actively using Social Media, start with developing a strategy (next week we’ll talk about how) and create a presence in the platform/site that works best for your business.

Do some market research to find out if your customers are using these channels. Listen to what they are saying about you and your competitors. Learn how to engage with them.

A word of caution. Access to Social Media sites are free, but “viral” growth rarely happens overnight. It takes time to cultivate and grow your followers.

Next week, we’ll discuss strategy. Until then, as The Bard wrote…”Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” (until next week….)