Business Tip

"Five ways to build business using social media "

Social media is a new way of communicating and making money. It requires certain dexterity and new methods of marketing. As you embrace these for your business, you gain more and can be much more profitable.

Deploy these action steps now with your business-building tools for increased productivity and profit:

Focus on specifics
Think specificity in all you do. Focus on a specific market. Write timely, practical notices. Be succinct.

Prioritize for your business
Each business is different, so you have to focus where you’ll get maximum results. For many, Facebook and Twitter are the two key components.

For me and many other service-oriented businesses, having a conversational blog is critical. Pack your blog with relevant, must-read articles, fun, informative and entertaining videos.

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for connecting with job seekers and others who need specific resources. YouTube is a must-use for sending video. Get to know all of the social media tools and consider which combination is best for you.

Provide value to get business
Provide solid, industry-specific results and solutions. Produce business-generating videos and point people to those resources with Facebook and Twitter. This is a model that can generate revenue for you.

Use the right tools
Social media has a lot of power but using native applications such as Twitter and Facebook can be cumbersome.

Third-party applications such as HootSuite, TweetDeck and others have emerged to provide more capability.

Be human
The key word here is social.

Those doing the best are those who let others get to know them as people, not just businesses. Even with a strictly business presence that some companies have, they communicate as real, live humans beings

This enhances the bond and takes marketing to a new and deeper level. It is also more profitable. Oh, and here’s an extra bonus for you — learn those shortened, goofy symbols and terms to communicate better on this new media.

Have fun with the new way of communicating — and making money.

Article taken from bizjournals.com (http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/print-edition/2011/04/29/five-ways...)