Imagine tens of thousands of people all over the world talking about your brand and recommending your products and services to their friends. If you're willing to invest time connecting with your target audience and building relationships with them, this can became a reality.

There is a hunger for interaction via social networks, which is good news for brands looking to grow their presence online. People pay more attention to brands that are social and they are more likely to buy your products if they've been recommended by one of their connections.

It's all about creating a social experience for your target audience. Find out where your potential customers are spending their time online and create a presence at sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest to engage them where they hang out.

Read on to find out how you can make the most out of the top most powerful social networking platforms.

Best social media tips for business

Best Social Media Tips for Business and Brands


Facebook


To grow your brand's presence on Facebook, you need to stop selling. Your fans can unlike your page with just a click if they feel you're stressing them with too many updates about your products. Your company Facebook page should be about your customers, not you so try to find out what makes them tick.

If you get to know your fans better, you'll find it easier to engage with them. Most importantly, be human. No one likes a robot.

For example, Zappos is doing a fantastic job at providing customer support and interacting with their fans.They already had a five-star reputation for knowing how to take care of their customers but doing that on Facebook as well (when most brands don't!) they increase trust and engagement, which in turn produces sales.


Twitter


Twitter is a great way to promote a brand. It has also proved to be extremely successful for businesses that don't have a fixed location and move from one place to another.For example, if you're selling your stuff in pop-up markets or if you own a food truck and need to let people know where they can find you on a particular day then Twitter is a perfect way to do that.

Cravings, a food truck business from Tallahassee, Florida, has used social networking in exactly this way to attract hundreds of customers.

They linked their Foursquare account with their Facebook and Twitter profiles, meaning that when they check in somewhere, their friends and followers know exactly where the truck is on that day.Customers who then check in at that location are given an incentive like a free drink or a waffle which helps spread the word even further.

Taking an innovative approach to social media is now one of the most effective ways possible to do word of mouth marketing, so make sure you're using it to its full extent.


LinkedIn


LinkedIn is the most powerful social network for businesses. It has become much more than a recruitment tool or a place where you can show off your resume. LinkedIn is great for building brand authority and also generating leads. Here's how you can use it to your benefit:

•    Join the LinkedIn groups related to your industry to get your name out there and build relationships with potential clients or business partners.

•    Participate in Questions& Answers sessions to raise your profile and become an authority.

•    Ask for recommendations or reviews from customers as this can help you generate more leads.

•    Ask your current employees to write a description that says "I love my job", not "I'm desperate to leave".

Check out Salesforce's Products Tab on LinkedIn, for example, which includes hundreds of recommendations across its 10 products.Who wouldn't want to do business with them?

Remember, using LinkedIn well is a great way to show off your business in a professional, focused environment.


Pinterest


Pinterest tips and tricks for business

Pinterest has captured the attention of the masses lately so you know you have to create a presence on this photo-sharing platform, if you haven't already. Pinterest is gaining traction but, just like any other social network, don't bother creating an account if you're not going to invest time in it.

To build your brand on Pinterest, you need to engage with those in your target audience who are known for quality "pins". That's where most people are hanging out, talking, commenting and repinning. If you can get their attention, you're in. However, apply the same rule as for Twitter and Facebook: don't oversell. Promote your products but also other things that your customers are passionate about.

You also need to think of innovative ways to use Pintrest. For example, the former airline company British Midland International ran a fun BMI Pinterest lottery competition where people could win free flights to different destinations.

So, instead of just adding photos with their destinations, which is what many airline companies do, they chose to engage with their fans and reward them for their participation.

Building a strong presence across all these social networking platforms will take time and effort, but it's really worth doing. You'll see traffic rise and that means you should be able to increase sales. What more could you want?
 
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