Love them or hate them, the worlds of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn represent money in the bank for the business owner who uses them right.

Why You Should Bother

Right now, social media is one of the most affordable and profitable ways to reach your target audience.

Social media is the closest relative to word-of-mouth advertising available to you as a business owner. These prospects are online – and social media is one of the easiest ways to reach them.

Setting Up Your Profiles

You’ll want to set up a business profile – even if you already have a personal profile – on Facebook and Twitter at a minimum.

Don’t believe for a minute that a social media site is enough. Whether you like or hate a particular site, millions of users prefer one or the other and use it regularly. Ignoring either could mean leaving lots of business on the table. You need to be on the sites your customers and prospect use.

Also, make your business page public and accessible to help your search engine ranking.

The Name of the Game Is Being “Liked”

Liked, followed, and connected – it all comes down to people finding value in being associated with you in social media. The more popular your business is among the users of these sites, the wider your reach.

Getting people to connect with you can take some strategies. Don’t beg people to “like” or “follow” you on social media – instead, give them a reason to want to do it. Discounts on your products or services, gifts, and valuable information remain prime incentives.

Consider using Facebook advertising to heighten your reach.

Make it easy for people on your mobile marketing or email marketing list to connect with you via social media. Include your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn info and a special offer for those who connect there.

What Should You Post?

Stay relevant and fresh. Put some thought into what you post – don’t just do the same old thing all the time. You can do some quick research to find out what people are interested in related to your industry – then write your updates from your perspective on these popular topics.

Conclusion

Ignore social media at your peril. Your competitors are using social media, and No matter how you feel about these sites, you can’t afford to use them. It can seem overwhelming at first – and it is a big task to stay on top of your social media campaign. However, it will pay off if you build more and better connections online.