2012: Year of the Social

In the two years I’ve been with Nine Technology, I’ve had the privilege to work with channel partners all over the world. But my relationship with these businesses isn’t exclusively in regards to the Powered By Nine® solutions – I often work with them to explain how social media can help them drive sales.

Facebook and Twitter were taboo for many businesses when I started here, and now, they’re must-have facets of any successful company. Now that the expectation is set that you have to be on these platforms, it’s time to really show what their capabilities are. 2012 can be the year for your business to break from the pack, and social media is one key way you can do that. 

1. Blog every week. I know, I know, you’re busy, but blogging at least once a week is a quick way to generate revenue. When you write your posts, try to work in some key phrases about your industry or marketplace. Every time you blog, you create a new page on your website, and Google and Bing crawl these pages and rank you based on what the search engines think you’re talking about. Those key phrases are what your customers search for, and if you’ve got them on your site, you’ll rank higher in the search results.
2. Let your customers do your selling for you. Add some testimonials and quotes from existing customers to your site – they speak volumes more than your marketing and PR staff’s work, since they come from real people. When a potential customer visits your site, they want to know what their experience will be like, and testimonials (including video testimonials) will help them learn.
3. Connect with nearby businesses. Check out the business groups for your area on LinkedIn and Facebook. These groups let you collaborate, share information, and network with area businesses. Keep an eye on the discussions they have – see a question you can answer? Go for it. Stay out of sales mode, just offer your expertise. When they need what you have to offer, they’ll remember what you’ve done for them in the past.

Social media is not only acceptable in 2012, it’s required. If you’ve been dragging your feet on this, you’ve got to start today. Don’t let your competitors outflank you on this; commit to a steady stream of content in 2012.