Creative Social Networking for Small Businesses

Social Networking is Connecting With Customers on a Personal Level

Creative Social Networking for Small Businesses

In this article, we're going to share some ideas that can improve your social networking results. But first, let's remember that social networking is different from social media, although these terms are often used interchangeably. Social networking is all about building a following and connecting with them online. It's establishing and maintaining relationships. This requires you to listen at least as much as you talk. A social medium is merely the digital platform you use to accomplish that goal.

If there's one thing that's synonymous with small business, it's 'busy owners'. So when you think about creative social networking for small business, you're probably thinking you don't have time to be creative. But the truth is, being creative with your social networking doesn't mean you have to come up with new ideas. You just have to start using some of the ideas that others have already developed.

7 Ways to Improve Social Networking

  1. Respond to comments. A huge part of engaging your followers is responding to their comments. Of course, that begins with encouraging comments in the first place. If you just post 'stuff' and expect your followers to stay with you, you'll be disappointed.
  2. Post quotes. Part of a good social networking strategy is frequency. But there will be times when you have nothing particularly noteworthy to post. When that happens, a humorous or inspiring motivational quote is a good fill-in. Subscribe to a daily quote list and keep a file of quotes you want to use later. Just don't get lazy and overdo this practice.
  3. Share relevant industry data or statistics. Relevant industry statistics always work well at generating shares and retweets.
  4. Post a link to an old blog post. Just because an article or blog post is old doesn't mean it's irrelevant. Recycling your old blog posts can create new engagement.
  5. Ask questions. Post simple questions that your followers can answer quickly. This is a great way to encourage engagement. Many people can't resist answering questions on social media; and their answers often engage others. 
  6. Curate content. Sharing relevant content from someone else's blog or website is a great way to keep people engaged. But be sure to look for content from a complementary business, and avoid sharing content from a competitor.
  7. Ask for feedback on your products and services. Customers love sharing their thoughts on how to improve your products and services; and they'll appreciate being asked.

You may have noticed that all thee ideas share a common theme - content. That's no accident or coincidence. Using relevant content to create and maintain relationships with your followers is what social networking is all about. That's how you create a strong online presence for your small business. For more help with your online marketing, without blowing-up the budget, contact us online or call (954) 708-2563. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

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