As one of the most powerful social networking sites, Facebook provides business owners with a social media platform to make a solid business base by strengthening relationships between them and their customers. By including customized graphics, business details and web site tie-ins, you can lead potential customers directly to your business site. Facebook is also a great tool to use when launching certain types of promotions, such as a contest, that will excite your potential customers. This kind of targeted marketing can introduce many potential customers to your business. In this sense, facebook advertising provides both a direct and indirect way to promote your business, products, and/or services.
Twitter is a microblogging service that uses small bursts of information called “tweets” to reach out to your potential customers. It connects businesses to customers in real time, allowing you to quickly share information with people interested in your products and services. Also, using Twitter can help in gathering real-time market intelligence and feedback in order to build a positive relationship with customers. Using Twitter is a great social media platform to offer promotions, information on specials, and business news as a means of encouraging traffic back to your website.
Pinterest is a social network that allows users to visually share, curate, and discover new
interests by posting, also known as ‘pinning,’ images or videos to their own or others’ inboards (a collection of ‘pins,’ usually with a common theme). Users can either upload images from their computer or pin things they find on the web. This form of social media offers the potential to gain brand recognition, drive traffic to your website, and appeal to the senses of your potential customers.
With over 100 million users representing over 200 countries around the world, LinkedIn is a fast-growing professional networking site that allows members to create business contacts, search for jobs, and find potential clients. Individuals have the ability to create their own professional profile that can be viewed by others in their network and also view the profiles of their own contacts. This type of social media provides exposure to other business professionals and can help to build a network of business professionals to compliment your growing list of customers.