Business & Social Networking

2011-05-22T09:00:00.001-07:00

Not a week goes by that a customer does not ask me this question. "Sean how can I use Facebook and Twitter to increase my business?" There is not a simple answer to this question because while there are some businesses making money using Social Networking most are not. I believe it depends on the business you are in. If you own a business or are in sales you have probably been solicited to take a class with a title like "Making money with FaceBook" or "Increase your sales with FaceBook". I would ask the presenter the following questions before paying for any class.

In the last year how much money have you made from FB and Twitter?
In the last year how many leads have you gotten from FB and Twitter?

The questions sound a bit harsh but they are important questions to ask to prevent from getting ripped off. The fact is Social Networking is huge and smart business men and women want to know how to use it to generate leads and create sales from it. That has sparked people coming out of the woodwork offering, for $$$, to teach you how to use Social Networking for business. I have yet to find a person that teaches one of these classes that could answer the questions above, when I do I will take that class but I don't think I ever will. Don't get me wrong I think that Social Networking can be a valuable tool for business but I think for most businesses it is a "relationship starter". It allows your business to start a relationship with a potential customer and to do that all you need to do is be active in Social Networking. I.E. Create a FaceBook Fan Page, get on Twitter and even start a blog. Social Networking is just like going to a business mixer, if you just stand there and don't talk to people you don't have a good chance of meeting people but if you get involved and mingle you have a good chance of meeting people and getting your name out there.

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Business & Social Networking