Column: Social Networking

Bottom-line strategies

By: Emily Medvec
Published online: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Appeared in: Home, Santa Fe Real Estate Guide
Edition: January 2012 Vol. 14 No. 10

Like people, small businesses are experimenting more and more with social networking online. Their presence on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn is beginning to change the small-business landscape as more and more customers embrace social media sites as a normal part of their lives and consumer activity. Today, people talk about everything on Twitter and Facebook, including what products and services are important to them. Small businesses are discovering that business as usual is not a path to more new business.

Some of the latest stats discovered with a Google search reveal over 80 percent of Americans use a social network — including over 800 million Facebook users. Experian reports that nearly 25 percent of time online is spent social networking. Social media consumers influence others with their conversations, opinions, comments and ideas about everything in the marketplace, including Santa Fe. Social networking is good for business, not just relationships. Recent reports reveal that the majority of Facebook and Twitter users are more likely to buy products or use the services of the people and small business they LIKE or FOLLOW online.

Here are some tips on how to take your small business to the next level. With limited resources, it is important to remember your business does not need to be everywhere. Pick one of the top three sites — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn — that is best for your audience and focus on doing it well rather than getting overwhelmed by more than one network. Next, show them you are a real person by posting news, information and updates about what you are passionate about. If your business is focused on a niche market, hire a photographer to create a professional image for you or engage a local graphic designer to transform your Twitter profile page.

To gain a competitive edge in your market, begin to provide information that will focus on solving your customers’ common problems or concerns. For example, if you are a veterinarian in Santa Fe, why not provide tips on preventing dog and cat injuries? If you are a plumber, why not talk about trade secrets for stopping a running toilet. If you are a bookkeeper, try blogging about how you are passionate about numbers and detail. This kind of information will be your competitive advantage by providing value to your customers and future prospects.

Take the time to interact with your clients, prospects and followers online. Begin conversations to engage those you find interesting. Read what your followers are saying about you and your business. Focus on the pulse in your market by looking at trending topics to be more informed. After all, people do business with people they know and trust. In 2012, why not make a resolution to boost your bottom line by social networking? Follow me and I will follow your business. See you next online.

Emily Medvec is an associate broker with Santa Fe Properties on a team with Ulla Allyn. Emily’s passion is how social networking online changes how we communicate and make decisions in real estate and every other marketplace. Follow her at www.twitter.com/ emilymedvec or call her at 505-660-4541.