Ideal Consulting Services header image
Become more Effective, Efficient and Profitable

Who Do You Know?

Using social media to grow your business

When you looked at this question what did you think?  Were you reminded of the insurance salesman who asked that question as soon as they signed you up or did you think of someone else wanting to sell to all your friends and acquaintances?  What I am going to ask is “who do you know and who do they know?”   But instead of a quiet reluctance to share your friends, I am going to devote this article to looking at ways that you can use the social media craze to your advantage.

In this last week alone I have come across many articles discussing social media and all the people who are jumping on the band wagon.  Usage of social media ranges from absolute oblivion to an addiction.  Obviously either extreme is too extreme for most of us, especially if we are trying to run or build a business.

At this point we can’t ignore social media – it is here to stay.  Today, July 22, 2010, I read that Facebook now has over ½ billion subscribers.  By the time this article is published I expect that number to have grown.  Rather than ignoring something like Facebook, we should find ways to embrace it and incorporate its advantages into our marketing.  We need to make ourselves known in whatever positive ways we can.  And we need to connect to as many people as possible.  Keep in mind that anyone who has joined Facebook and made their profile public wants to be found and is interested in communicating through social media.

We all know and probably agree that word of mouth is an important way to get new clients.  Unfortunately, we don’t always use or encourage enough word of mouth.   By having a presence on Facebook you can encourage word of mouth.  Not only can you can invite your friends to join your network, you should invite your clients to join you on Facebook and go to your Facebook page.  Both you and your clients can post pictures of your projects on Facebook.  When your clients want to share the work in progress you can be there to help them.  You can invite your clients to “like” your Facebook page.  This will encourage their friends to find you.

Fortunately for you, the more friends and acquaintances your clients have, the more people will hear about you.  With just a small amount of set up work on your part, you can make yourself and your company better known.  Remember, you do not need to log onto Facebook everyday.  I do recommend that you accept invitations to allow people to be your friends.

Just like your website, if you have a Facebook page for your business, anyone can go to it.  Once you have your Facebook page set up, you can link to it from your website and vice versa.

So, who do you know and who do they know?  The more people you know and the more people they know and so on, the better chance you have of getting those word of mouth referrals.

I invite you to join me on Facebook.  Search for Lorraine Hart on Facebook or find the Ideal Consulting Facebook page.  I welcome your comments and feedback.