For many small business owners nationwide, the idea of having a dedicated employee to only deal with a company’s social networking may seem a little outside of something in which they’d have interest. However, it’s still important that someone be in charge of a company’s profiles on these sites, even if it’s in addition to his or her normal tasks, as these sites still present companies with a tremendous opportunity for growth.
A large number of small business owners are well aware of just how useful Facebook and Twitter can be when it comes to potentially growing a devoted following online, which in turn can translate into more actual customers or clients and then greater financial success, according to a report from the Raleigh News and Observer. However, it’s also important for entrepreneurs to keep in mind that some methods for using these sites are going to be more effective than others as it relates to getting their message out there and connecting with people in their areas and beyond.
For this reason, it might be wise for small businesses to do all they can to explore the best possible methods for disseminating information about themselves and trying to engage current and potential customers or clients in the most interesting ways possible, the report said. For instance, coming up with a lot of different content that will appeal to consumers may mean they can do everything from read and respond to a simple message, “Like” or retweet a picture, or watch a video, and all of that will be effective in getting a message out there, but at the same time, companies will have to determine which of these two sites will best convey what they’re trying to bring across. For instance, while people of almost every demographic use Facebook in some ways, but Twitter is largely used by younger people who are a little more tech-savvy. Consequently, companies will have to determine exactly who they’re trying to reach, and determine whether they can be more effective using one of these sites or the other, or if they should just use both instead.
“The amount of activity on Facebook is unparalleled,” Blair Johnson, social media manager at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub in downtown Raleigh, told the newspaper. “It … allows us to really interact with our fans and customers, and then gives us the analytical tools to track the effectiveness of those interactions.”
Where to begin
Of course, because of how popular social media is right now, and how people use it overall, it might be wise for companies to at least start out using both of these sites and then see which one has been more successful in generating interest overall. That might help to create more informed decisions about the direction companies will want to take with regard to these services. At the same time, though, even if a business determines that it hasn’t gotten much traction on one of these sites, it should not simply neglect the service going forward, but instead might want to see if they can use the site on which they’re more popular to promote the other profile. For example, if a Facebook page’s activity is far greater than that of a Twitter page, using the former to make sure people know about the existence of the latter could be a beneficial step to take.
Further, because the ultimate point of social networking for businesses is to improve their bottom lines, owners might want to take some steps to do that on their own as well. Finding more affordable small business insurance, including liability insurance policies, can help give companies more flexibility going forward.
