Marketing with Twitter, LinkedIn, and More
I don't think Twitter is best for a small business unless they have a current following. Twitter is filled with so much political comments, funny comments, and short snippets from other sites, I think that it might be a waste. However, if you can drive a following on Twitter then it would be a good way to market. From what I have found most companies just cross-post and do the same posts on all platforms which include Twitter.
Twitter I find is best for personal use, and get updates from larger companies on their most recent happenings. From time to time, you will see a tweet that has gained a lot of traction. Once a tweet gets a lot of traction, then someone might say "Hey, come check out my (name of product here) and come to my website. That could be best for a small business. As the "Mention" article states first decide what you want to accomplish on Twitter. Once that is established you can have a better idea of your outcome. Twitter is mostly used to just talk about a brand and probably won't be a huge income earner.
Linkedin is a great tool. I have found my last two positions on the site and wow what a difference it can make professionally. I actually used their paid service to see who was looking at my professional page. I think now it has turned more into a Facebook type of postings. When I am on Linkedin I do not want to see how your child is doing, or that your neighbor broke their leg. It should be for professional usage. Because of this shift in the type postings being more in personal nature than in business posts I don't review it too much these days.
However, on Linkedin I have found great connections. I do not have a business account yet but plan on getting one soon. I have reached out to other professionals in my industry and see some meaningful things from them and how they are getting along with their own businesses. It makes a great social media site for good connections. You just have to be mindful of who you follow and allow into your professional circles.
Social Influencers may seem like a great idea. They offer your company exposure and can bring your products to many followers. However, it has been taken overboard. Most influencers expect you to give them your product for free! When I first heard this, I thought it had to be a joke. It is no joke some expect you to give a service or product so you can get exposure. Exposure does not guarantee sales, it just offers exposure. I think using social influencers is best for already established products. While I believe, if an influencer believes in your product they should share it with their followers. If your sales go up in return a small gift basket might be in order. However not the other way around, that is taking advantage of the business.
I'm forcing myself to use Twitter these days. It gets a lot of attention, but as you mentioned, not all of it is positive.
ReplyDeleteInfluencers aren't really viable for small business. I cant just mail people my art or books and absorb the loss. I dont think most small businesses can.
As someone who's done some low grade influencer stuff, if you have to buy the product, its usually a scam.
There's a ton of companies selling cheap trinkets, marked up to prices in the hundreds.
They promise you'll get a 50% discount plus a bonus for anyone who makes a purchase using your representative code.
They take advantage of people's vanity, and the desire to live the sassy, sweet life of an influencer.
Their sales are almost exclusively from the "influencers" they recruit, who pay $50 with a discount code for cheap, plastic crap. They also get free advertising out of the deal.
Legit companies mail a product to your business P.O box, and the company pays for a review.
People almost never give negative reviews because they want to keep getting free stuff.
It's quite silly!