BroadVision Marketing Blog

Business owners today are using social media as an inbound marketing outlet with great results. While finding new customers and clients is perfect there is another huge advantage of having a social media presence. That is that social media takes place in real time. You will see messages and comments seconds after they have been posted. This means you can respond quickly and answer these queries or comments, think how that makes your customer service look? This will lead to great inbound marketing opportunities.

What is Social Media?

Social media can be classified as a combination of different technologies and tools. A social media site is set up so people can easily share information via the use of the internet. This type of platform is successful because of the sharing capabilities each site provides. In fact it is important to understand that social media is a two-way inbound marketing sharing process. These sites function by allowing people to share content, messages and images.

Today the majority of people are using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+. At one time these sites were viewed as sites for personal pleasure and for communicating with long distance family members. Not anymore!

Business marketing has changed in a dramatic way over the last few years. With so many people making use of the internet and mobile devices, it is now imperative that anyone with a business has an online presence.

Social Media for Business--

Companies and small businesses are now incorporating social media into their inbound marketing plans. These platforms allow a business owner to perform research, to stay on top of current trends and to post information pertaining to the business such as new products and special sales.

Any business can create an inbound social media marketing presence and then use the accounts as marketing and promotional methods. It is important, though, to keep your sites up-to-date and full of relevant information. Make sure you add plenty of images and photos as these are the ones people like to share most often.

Posting feedback from your customers and clients is another way to promote your business or service. Don’t forget to let your customers know about your social sites and add share buttons to your website and blog as well. All this is the very essence of inbound marketing.

Getting Traffic with Social Media--

By sending people to your social media properties you are creating traffic to your main business site. This will inevitably lead to more sales which, of course, is what you want as a business owner.

You can add links to the images you post in your social media accounts and have these links lead back to different pages or products on your main website. Images and graphics are now a huge part of inbound marketing when it comes to social media. It is so important that you incorporate these methods as well.

One easy way to add images is just to showcase your business. You can add photos of your products or your actual store if you own a physical location. Why not show off your production facility or other areas that would normally be closed to customers?

Yes, it does take time to setup your inbound social media marketing accounts. No one said that online marketing is easy. It takes time and effort to do it properly. You will also need to make sure that you post to your inbound marketing social sites on a regular basis once you set them up. By following up on this information you can bring in those customers you have been missing.

Which social media are part of your business' inbound marketing plan?

Jaco Grobbelaar is the owner of BroadVision Marketing. BroadVision Marketing works with business owners to put in place inbound and outbound marketing strategies that consistently secure new clients. The BroadVision Marketing Training Center is located in Petaluma, CA and primarily serves companies in the San Francisco Bay area.

Jaco can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.766.9778 or connect with Jaco on Facebook - www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing - and LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.