While the jury is still out on just how effective a presence in the social media networks is for small brick and mortar service businesses, many product driven businesses, public professionals like speakers and authors and, of course, internet marketers are doing very well. As a coach and small business consultant I have been monitoring social media and creating my own presence there.
The time is ripe, I believe, for small business owners of any type, including the contractors who make up much of my readership, to take the plunge into social networks and create a professional presence.
Over 35 Million people use LinkedIn, the professional network and over 200 Million use FaceBook which has a growing community of business pages as well as personal profiles. Twitter is also growing by leaps and bounds. In fact Twitter and FaceBook are the leading social networks with LinkedIn a distant third. I think that small businesses should have a presence on all three.
When you think about it where do most of your leads come from? For most of my clients the top three sources of leads are existing customers, referrals from existing customers and referrals from strategic partners. Online social networks are another just venue for your customers and strategic partners to connect you with other potential customers.
Advisors On Target will continue to provide support and resources to help your business maximize your professional presence in online social networks. Here are two ways you can make sure you stay in touch on upcoming events and resources: Send us an email or Join our Advisors On Target Business Success Groups on LinkedIn and FaceBook.