Using social media to promote your student business
10 years ago, if you started a business without much cash, you'd
have to do a lot of leg-work to get the word out. Cheap radio
adverts and long nights of flyering were de rigeur - which didn't
leave a lot of time for students to get on with their studies.
Now, though, we have social media - which means you can get your
word out to thousands of people at once with a relatively small
amount of effort. According to research carried out in March 2008,
almost 60% of internet users had joined a social network - a figure
which had doubled in just two years. And the best thing is,
whatever technology is popular among you and your peers is only
likely to be picked up by mainstream business a few months down the
line - which means whatever you're using now is here to stay. Well
done. Keep at it.
What is social media?
- Social media can be defined as web-based media which
allows its users to enter a dialogue with one another. This
can be through the sharing of images or videos, sending messages to
one another or simply writing articles which other users can alter
or which allows others to post comments at the bottom.
- The range of social media sites is enormously diverse and spans
services such as Smarta, Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia,
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, any sites which allow users
to create and maintain a blog, and thousands more. They can
be very specific - social networks designed for those in a
particular industry or with a particular passion, for example - or
they can be more general.
- Social media is more democratic than the internet in
general because unlike services such as search engines,
where you can pay SEO experts to boost your site's ranking or buy
AdWords and appear the top of search results, there's no way of
buying your way to the top. If other users don't like your message,
they'll make their voices heard - and there's no way of you
preventing them from doing so.
Which social media services to use
- It really depends on what you're doing. If your
target market is other students, Twitter may not be entirely
helpful, because students don't tend to use it. Facebook, on the
other hand, is almost ubiquitous among every demographic.
- Always have a blog. Whether you're freelancing,
teaching piano or setting up a limited company, a blog adds value
and gives you a chance to showcase your expertise and knowledge to
prospective clients. It allows you to keep customers and
prospective customers up-to-date with what's happening in the
business. And, crucially, blogs are also great for SEO - keep blogging, and
you'll be at the top of Google search results in no time (er, sort
of). You can set up one at Blogger, Wordpress or Tumblr.
- If you don't have a lot of cash or your web design skills
aren't completely up-to-date, view your website more as a hub
where all your social media services come together - include
content from YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and your blog, and
you'll already have a reasonably interesting website.
How to use social media
- You probably use social media already. Bonus. It's easy from
here on out. The following points are just ways to make your use
more in-depth and business-centric. But remember the appeal of
social media is that it's real and personal and full of your
personality - so just carry on being yourself. Don't be too worried
about giving off a 'professional' image - it'll be too cold.
- Because social media users are constantly generating new
content and engaging in new conversations, it's a great way
to monitor what your customers think of you. You can spot
trends and get free feedback without having to spend money on
expensive - and irritating - customer feedback surveys.
- Before you jump straight in, start by doing some
research. Monitor public opinion by signing up to
Technorati, which monitors blogs for keywords; Google Alerts, which
send you an email every time a word you've requested is used on a
news site or blog; and look up keywords on Twitter Search. Set up
alerts for your business' name, as well as the names of competitors
and anything else you think is relevant.
- Join the conversation only when you're sure you know what
people think of your business. For instance, setting up a Twitter account will allow you to
engage in direct, real-time dialogue with customers, but remember
to answer people as well as promoting your product - and don't make
the same mistake as furniture company Habitat, which alienated
customers by engaging in some unscrupulous practices.
- The goal is to boost your business' profile rather
than engage in any direct selling, so make sure you fit in to the
social network or type of media you're using. This means using the
correct tone of voice, and site etiquette.
- Remember, social media was set up to allow users to chat
to each other - so a chatty, light tone rather than a pushy,
marketing-led voice will engage users and endear them to your
business.
Jargon buster
Apps/Applications: a 'web app' is a computer
program designed to be accessed through a web browser. Social media
sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn have built-in apps.
Flickr: photography-based social network
which allows users to post and comment on one another's photos.
LinkedIn: business-focused social
network which, like Facebook, allows users to create profiles,
posting personal information including career and professional
history and connect to other users.
WordPress: one of the most popular blog
creation websites.
Widget: a chunk of code, usually small programs
such as clocks, which can be installed into any web page.
Resources
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