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Social media for retail made simple

May 12, 2011 by Laurel Tielis — Author and Professional Speaker, Laurel Tielis & Associates

If you're still wondering about how important social media can be to your business, think about this. Getting involved in social media is the same as bringing both a public relations company on board, and running an ad campaign.

In terms of PR, you get the publicity without hiring the company. You're saving the fee and getting the buzz, because social media is word-of-mouth on steroids.

When it comes to advertising, if you currently place print ads or buy commercials in traditional media–newspapers, magazines, radio and TV–and find it valuable, you'll want to use social sites such as Groupon to sell your product or service.

As with any advertising you pay money to get your message in front of the public, but you have complete control of that message. While you end up with a greatly reduced price for a specific product or service, you can sell more than what you put on the site and you can sell it to an immense new audience.

If you see the value of television as a promotional tool, now's the time to put your videos on YouTube. You can have your own show, your own channel, and you can have it for free!

As actual TV watching declines (just as fewer homes have land-line phones, fewer homes have sets), YouTube has grown. With tablets like the iPad becoming ubiquitous, the site's two billion viewers a day will only increase. Start with a good story, one that benefits your audience, and you'll get viewers. Think more about creating engagement than worrying about production values.

Remember when telegrams packed a punch? Those tightly worded messages have been replaced by Twitter. Its 140 character limit per post means you have to get your message out in a few words. Offer your Twitter followers messages they'll find informative, educational, or entertaining. Tweet and repeat to win converts.

Don't just use Facebook for keeping up with friends. Build a business page that allows you to acquire fans. It's an excellent tool for doing business. You can even build an online store.

LinkedIn has been compared to an old-style Rolodex, but it's so much more than that. It allows you to easily reach out and connect with other people who share your mindset and your business goals.

Blogs have been called the new newspapers. If you've always wanted to be a reporter or an editor, now's your chance to tell your story in your words.

That's the beauty of social media. It eliminates the middle man. Its two-way conversation immediately alerts you to what works and what doesn't, allowing you to be more nimble with your marketing.

About Laurel Tielis

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