The Northeast got hit with a major snowstorm this past week that impacted travel and the ability for businesses to remain open as snow emergency declarations and road condition warnings kept people in their homes and off the streets. During the 2 days of this winter storm and long list of cancellations some businesses thrived while others suffered from their slow to adopt approach to how they utilize the internet and position their businesses for success with e-commerce optimized websites, active blogs and effective social media marketing with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
Still not convinced that your business needs to have a page on Facebook and the other social media sites? According to a recent report, as of 2011, there were 500,000,000 active Facebook users and at least half of them are logged in on any given day and that includes snow days as I discovered this week. Wednesday morning, at the height of the storm, I logged in to my Facebook page as I do every morning before I even have coffee and I saw numerous posts from family and friends who were without power, but still found their way to post and be on Facebook via their smart phones. As I quickly made my coffee before I lost power, I was thankful for making sure that all my marketing clients used social media and were actively posting during this high volume day on-line. If you own a business and you are still struggling with social media please get the assistance you need. Had you included a social media marketing plan in 2009 and 2010 as part of your marketing strategy you would not have been frustrated and suffering from cabin fever, but thrilled with how easy it was to connect with key people and potential clients. Though I am an advocate for traditional advertising like TV, radio and billboards, many of my clients have seen profits from being early adopters to Facebook and other sites. And this past December one of my TV advertising clients who has always spent significant money with traditional advertising was thrilled that I helped them with their Facebook and Twitter accounts in 2010 since they ended December with the best sales they have had in years and they directly attribute this to their social media marketing campaign and email newsletters.
This winter is just beginning and 2011 has great opportunity for business owners who want to be successful. The key to success with social media marketing is “doing it” and “doing it well”. If you are not sure if your business is getting the most from the sites you currently have set-up or you still do not know how to create a profile for these sites, be sure to contact a specialist in this field or call in a consultant like Purple Diamond.
All my best to your success! ~ Charlene
