Guest Post by Margo Smith from Classes and Careers |
Who do you listen to when making an important purchase? Let us say you are in the market for a new car. The one you have been driving just isn’t cutting it, and you want to find a quality car for transportation and traveling with your family. Do you listen to a friend who has been in a similar situation of needing to upgrade the family vehicle, or do you trust the SUV salesman who makes the best commission for selling you the highest price automobile on the log?
Most of us would go with the advice of our friend. This is where Facebook and Twitter come in to play. These 2 social sites connect people and businesses in ways that could not have been imagined until now.
This is what a Florida veterinary dentist learned when trying to take his business from a local to a more national audience: Facebook works. Instead of ignoring this mover and shaker in the social networking world, Geoff Tucker decided to make the most of it. He made his own Facebook page and started making friends. He also set up a Twitter account and started his own blog. The combination of these 3 gave him an online presence and let people get to know him as a person, not just a name next to his title, Equine Dentist.
He credits these 3 internet models for his invitation to appear on TV and radio spots. He has appeared on HorseGirl.tv and Horse Talk Radio, and obviously this has increased his visibility. If not for the social networks, this success would have been impossible because he would still be an unknown. He is pleased with the 100 leads he has gained from his online accounts and with the dozen or so clients he has gained as a result of his networks.
When creating your profiles to promote your business, there are a few pointers to follow. The most important is to be yourself, don’t try to come off as anyone other than who you are.
Your authenticity is something the online crowd can sniff out pretty quickly, so be real. Be friendly — hostility may get you in with the hater’s crowd, but it won’t win you business. Do not be too spammy. It is alright to say who you are and what you do, but don’t try to push it on people. Put yourself out there as the professional you are and let them come to you for your services. If you enjoy what you do, it will show in the way you write about your work, in the way you present yourself and any photos of your day to day work. Give it a try. There is no reason to let the power of social networking pass you by — so dive in.
Margo Smith is a BYU graduate. She is fond of writing about a range of subjects from space exploration to online classes to puzzles. She draws from her own education, her years in college and an author’s perspective on life when gathering information for ideas for articles.