Though Twitter and Facebook have been staples of the social media scene for several years now, many small businesses haven’t yet figured out how to leverage these platforms to communicate with their audience, develop their brand and, ultimately, drive sales.
But research shows that more and more people are making purchasing decisions based on things they read in social media. So, what’s a business to do?
Think about how you use Facebook. You may put up with the random ramblings of your friends, but when it comes to companies that post nonsense or information that’s irrelevant to you, you’re probably more likely to reach for the hide button.
On Twitter, the relevance and accuracy of your information is what makes your audience want to share your content. And, as with most other marketing tools, it takes time and consistency of message - not a hard sales pitch - to make it effective for your business.
Take a note from Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee). This is an excerpt from his book The Thank You Economy:
“When I first started Tweeting, I had no brand recognition; no one knew who I was. To build my brand, I started creating conversations around what I cared passionately about: wine.
I used Search.Twitter.com…to find mentions of Chardonnay. I saw that people had questions, and I answered them. I didn’t post a link to WineLibrary.com and point out that I sold Chardonnay. If people mentioned that they were drinking Merlot, I gave them my Merlot recommendation, but I didn’t mention that they could buy Merlot on my website.
I didn’t try to close too early, like a nineteen-year-old guy; I made sure to invest in the relationship first. Eventually, people started to see my comments and think, “Oh, hey, it’s that Vaynerchuk guy; he knows Chardonnay. Oh cool, he does a wine show - let’s take a look. Hey, he’s funny. I like him; I trust him. And check it out: he sells wine, too. Free shipping? Let’s try a bottle of that…” That’s what caring first, not selling first, looks like, and that’s how I built my brand.”
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