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Why Social Media for Local Businesses? Lesson 1 - It Is All About Relationships
As a local business, you face constant pressures from big "box" stores and other national companies that compete for your customers on price and selection. They sell things cheaper than you can buy them for, they run multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and they have more items in their stores than you could ever hope for. So how do you respond?
Most local business owners I know respond with "We provide better service." Yes, but what does that mean? Everybody says that. I think for most it means that they know more about their clients and how to fulfill their needs than the impersonal national companies. Therefore, they are not really talking about "service" but "relationship." So how do you build this relationship?
For years building this relationship meant taking time to get to know your clients. From learning their names, to who their family members were and knowing where they lived and worked. This took time and developed over many times of doing business together. But, what happens if someone only does business with you once? How do you build up that relationship so that they will come back? It is very difficult unless you see them regularly somewhere else like church or the county club. This is where Social media comes in and helps to solve this dilemma.
Social media not only allows you to build a relationship with those who only visit your business once, but also with those who have never been to your business. Social Media is all about relationship. It is a tool by which people can share what is happening in their life with their friends and family all at once, instead of one at a time. They can interact with each other about what is being shared, and all of this can be done from anywhere in the world. People love it and more and more are joining social media applications every day. This is communication from many people to many people for the first time in history and it is growing exponentially.
Here are 5 key ways that Social Media can help your local business build relationships with your clients and help you make money.
You can share personally with them so that they feel like they know you... the business owner. People do businesses with those they know and trust. To compete with impersonal box stores you must create "personality" in your business.
You can learn about them. You get to hear what is going on with them in their lives, interact with them from anywhere and be prepared when they are ready to do business with you.
Your clients introduce you to their friends and share their experiences with them. Social Media provides hundreds of ways for your clients to do this; writing a review, becoming a "Fan," suggesting their friends become "Fans," clicking on a "Like" button, "Checking-In" at your business, and the list goes on.....
You can reward your clients with specials and deals just for them. Social Media allows you to communicate with your customers and friends in real time. So rather than putting your special in the newspaper that goes to everybody, you can say "thank you" to those who are excited about your business.
Social Media helps you build your database so that you can continue the relationship into the future. When someone becomes a "Facebook Fan" or a "Twitter Follower" you now have a communication link that you can continue to use to build the relationship.
Finally, it is important to note that like any relationship Social Media takes work. You reap what you sow... but just like the tractor and the automatic seeder multiplied the planting efforts of the farmer, Social Media multiplies the sowing efforts of your local business. So whether or not you do it yourself or you hire a Social Media Manager someone has to "drive the tractor."
Brian Mininger is Pastor of Riverbank and
Now Pay Close Attention --
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Question about driving lessons in upstate NY?
In New York State, if you get a certificate for completion of driving lessons (busy roads, highway, practice with parallel parking & 3-point turns, etc.), does it cancel out the 20 hours of required practice? My driving instructor gave me a sheet that says what I have done and she said to give it to my road test examiner, but I don't know what its importance is.
Someone told me that if you take certified driving lessons then your parents don't have to sign the sheet that says you've had 20 hours of practice; is this true?
According to new york law you can now take your driving test.
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Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - English ESL Lesson Kids
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Life Lessons for Busy Moms $11.16 Organize Your World, Your Kids, Your Time, and . . . Make Room for Mommy If you don't have enough hands, enough time in the day, or enough energy to balance everything—much less fit in a bit of "you time," then Chicken Soup for the Soul: |
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The Lessons $11.16 The Lessons |
5 Tips to Help You With Advertising Your Home Business
Can You Help Me In Advertising My Home Business? 5 Tips
When you have a home business and you want to advertise this new business to the public, how much should you spend on a monthly basis? This is always a question that I am asked, and it is not an easy question to answer whatsoever.
As a home business owner, I realize the importance of having a return on my advertising dollars. I also know, however, that nothing is guaranteed and that we may make some bad choices along the way.
Here are 5 Tips regarding home business advertising that have been helpful to me. I am hoping that this can help you as well!
1. Set aside a certain amount of money per month that you know you will use for advertising your home business. Try not to exceed your budget limits, except under special circumstances. If your revenue is very large in a given month, and you found a unique advertising opportunity, this could be considered an exception.
2. Look to advertise online, especially in your local area. Local online advertising is becoming more and more significant by the day. This was how I built my piano lessons business from home. Now in 2009, 90 percent of my new referrals come from the internet.
3. Learn the ins and outs of Google Adwords which are known as sponsored links. Learn how to set up a cost effective campaign that will make the best use of your advertising dollars. Google Adwords can be highly profitable for you if you know how to master the art.
4. Learn how to market online for free. Start doing videos as well as starting a blog. In addition, write press releases about your business which can be done for free. Article Marketing is another great way to advertise your home business as well and provide backlinks to your website.
5. Last, but not least, make sure you have a professional web design to represent your business. There is nothing that turns the public off more than a cheesy and unprofessional looking website. Your website is a symbol of your business. Make it professional!
It is hoped that these five tips can help to set you in the right direction regarding advertising for your home based business. Best of luck in earning lucrative and substantial income from home!
Michelle Tukachinsky
Home Business Coach and Mentor
About the Author
Ms. Tukachinsky is a home business coach and mentor in South Florida. She has had a successful home business for over 10 years and is here to help others build a lucrative and successful business from home.
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Looney Tunes Yosemite Sam's Draw, Pardner Art & Adventure Activity Kit $3.99 Keep your kids entertained for hours with this art and adventure activity kit from Looney Tunes featuring the beloved cartoon character Yosemite Sam. This kit features 2 color in wanted poster targets, a soft foam softball shooter, letter cards for the name scramble game, 4 how to draw lessons, 16 Looney Tunes crayons, and much more! This is a great gift to bring out the artistic side of any child... |
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