What Social Media are you using?

Social Media is here to stay; so what are you doing with it? Facebook, Twitter, Jigsaw, LinkedIn and blogs are just some of the many sites that are available for you to use in your business. The question is – Are you using these tools. I don’t think you need to be using them all – they can consume all of your time – however, you need to be using some of them. So which ones will they be?

Why Use them?
In the sales world you want to find out what your customers are doing. Are there Facebook pages you can join, are there LinkedIn groups you can be part of, are there people you can follow in Twitter? If this makes no sense to you, then it is time to begin to educate yourself on these sites.

You can use LinkedIn to connect and network with people and to join groups that have a common interest or that are of interest to you. Twitter allows you to follow people and read what they have to say. The good news with Twitter is that if you don’t like what they say or there is no value – you stop following them. So if you have something of value to say and want to share with people Twitter allows you to do so. As well you have to communicate in less than 140 characters. When I first used Twitter the biggest challenge is to get your thoughts captured in 140 characters. This makes you become very succinct and to the point in all your communications – a good thing for sales professionals!

You need to spend time with each of these media sites and get to know the media and understand how to use the tool. Once you do that you can then decide how to use the tool for business. The key here is – “for business”. Facebook can consume all of your time posting pictures and reading about all your “friends”. People you haven’t seen in 30 years want to become your friends. There is no value to your business in that case. However, if your industry has pages and groups that participate in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other sites – get involved and follow the activity. This is no different that joining an industry association. The good news is that you can do the research and postings and reading at your convenience and where you want to. The key is that you receive value and that you provide a value.

Web sites and blogs
Do you have your own web site? Do you write a blog or newsletter? The Internet is here to stay and is not a fad. With the release of the i-Pad 2 and other tablet devices, the way we communicate is about to change again forever. My eighty-year-old mother has an i-Pad and she loves it. The family can send her video clips of what is happening in our lives, she has e-mail and communicates with friends and family and she has figured out Google Earth and visits places she has lived and places of interest in the World. How cool is that!!

So related to your business and world what are you doing to make yourself visible on the Web. How can people connect with you? E-mail has become the way to communicate and it has also become an excuse to hide behind and it wastes a great deal of people’s time each day. So how do you stand out from others? Twitter allows you to post details that are important to your customers, LinkedIn allows you to network and meet new contacts that are important to your sales success. Facebook groups allow you to associate with and make yourself known to industry groups. If you provide a value and provide good solid advise and timely information – then people will want to follow you, become your friend, join your LinkedIn connections and do business with you.

How do I get started?
The first thing you want to do is create accounts in several of the sites. Set-up a Twitter account, Join Facebook and set-up a page and get a profile set-up in LinkedIn. Yes it will take an investment of time – however from sports to learning to drive, to becoming a great sales person it takes an investment of time and a lot of trial and error. So go and do it.

Once you have spent some time with the site begin to think how you can use this in your business. What information can you share that people will place a value on and follow you? If you have the need to constantly update people with information or pricing you can create a following on a media site and update accordingly. Can you blog or write material that is useful. If so use Facebook or Twitter. You will know as you spend time with these tools as to what works and what won’t.

Sayers Says…
What are doing with Social Media? Other than e-mail – how are you communicating with clients and the business community? Try it and use it? The Internet is not going away so how are you going to keep up with the technology? Remember my eighty-year-old mother – that is very cool? What are you going to do after you read this newsletter?

What Social Media are you using?...