The eBiz Blog

The business world is rapidly moving in the direction of social media marketing, and to stay competitive, companies must acquire and maintain a powerful social media presence. The use of social media as a means of attracting potential customers is a major marketing game changer. For online businesses in particular, knowing how to properly use social media is imperative. Here are four ways you can effectively use social media to improve your online business.

Know Your Audience

Knowing your target audience has always been essential to successful business marketing, and the rise of social media has made current and potential customers more accessible than ever. An important step in knowing your online audience is figuring out where your customers spend the majority their time online. When it comes to social media, it will be well worth your time to focus your efforts on Facebook and Google Plus. With over a billion users worldwide, Facebook and Google Plus help business owners reach their customers in a way that has never been seen before. Stay active by posting customer oriented status updates and asking your fans and followers to comment. This will stimulate Web traffic and open up a dialogue that will allow you to know your market better. Social media sites such as Twitter and Pinterest are alternatives to Facebook and Google Plus and could also work to establish a credible social online presence, depending on who your target audience is.

Start a Blog

While social network accounts can draw attention to your business, frequent blog posting is what will give your site the content and credibility it needs. Blogging is a terrific way to not only make a mark on the social media world, but to also establish your business as a go to source for problem solving and helpful tips. To achieve this goal, you must post content that addresses consumer needs and offers news updates on your product’s most recent advancements. To turn your blog posts into profits, create internal links to your products and consider enlisting the help of professionals, such as ecommerce website designers. Finally, blog often (everyday, if possible) and always share your blogs via Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

Offer Quality Content

Having a social media presence will do little good if your content fails to meet the needs of your customers. According to Business Insider, the content of your social media needs to be specific and focused on a single platform. Focusing and tightening up your content will help your social media presence in myriad ways. It will establish your business as a knowledgeable source and help you hone in on your customers’ needs. Your content should also lend itself to customer input. One of today’s leading social media trends is personal information sharing. Asking to hear from your fans will make them feel they are valued customers and their voices are being heard.

Analyze Your Competition

In addition to promoting your business, social media is a tremendous asset when it comes to researching your competition. By accessing the social media sites of your competitors, you can analyze and compare your services, blog content, customer ratings and more. It is also beneficial to use business reviews to see what other people are saying about your competitors. Investigate your competition as if you were a potential costumer. Use the information you gather about their strengths and weaknesses to improve your business’s success.

While the rise of social media presents challenges to online business owners, through careful planning, it can propel your business into success. Follow these four tips to establish an effective and profitable social media presence.

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