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Friday, September 7, 2012

The Potentials and Power of Social Media

For small business owners, it’s important to understand the power of social networking. Studies have proven that over 25% of the time that people spend online, they are using social networks. Out of that 25%, 80% of these users are looking for something to buy, and 50% of those users are making purchases. But the key is – they aren’t simply making purchases based on ads they see scrolling across their screens. They are making purchases based on what people in their social networks are recommending.

Now it’s important to understand that Facebook alone has upwards of 600 million users. Each of these users will have their own profile, friends, and groups of people they interact with on a daily basis. When someone buys something they like, they talk about it. Others read about it and share it with their friends and groups. This activity replicates over and over, and over again. Now, this analogy only illustrates one person. What if thousands of people were talking about your products and recommending them to their friends? Welcome to the power of social networking.

Many business owners are only beginning to understand the power of social media and using the social networks in order to get their products and services in front of this massive audience. But here is where the issues arise. In order to be successful using this powerful marketing tool, you will either need to understand how to use it yourself, or you will have to hire a service that can use it effectively. Using social networks creates brand exposure in ways never before realized. You can also use social networks for developing yourself as an authority on a specific product or service.

Whichever way you choose in which to use social networks, it will require a bit of work on your part to gain the trust of the friends, followers, and connections you’ll be making. Using the big social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Yelp will prove to be very effective in growing your business but it begins with building a trust. In order to do this effectively, you will have to participate in communicating with friends, posting in groups, tweeting on a regular basis, sending out invites and connecting, and posting information about your business on message boards consistently.

The power of social networks can be utilized provided you understand how to use these communication and marketing tools to the best of their abilities. If you need help in this area, there are social networking service providers that can help.

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