By:Doug Dvorak
Those who are not accustomed to the benefits of social marketing outlets, as well as a well-designed website, can learn how to effectively utilize these mediums. They offer instrumental means to developing your business or business-related efforts. If you are a baby boomer looking for a way to jumpstart business, social media sites and your own website can capture your audience and promote your brand.
Social Websites and Networks
Social networks are a perfect way to provide exposure to your brand. As stated by the social networking information website, Dosh Dosh: “It is a strategic and methodical process to establish your influence, reputation and brand within communities of potential customers, readers or supporters (from Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell).” Its importance is difficult to underestimate in building your own brand efforts.
Presence
Facebook alone has 350 million active users around the world. YouTube, Twitter, and other websites also have powerful numbers that demonstrate their ability to reach an unlimited audience. Additionally, other options exist for gaining exposure for your brand. There are numerous online forums that offer great opportunities for Baby Boomers at capturing potential customers within your niche. You can find potential customers on these platforms effectively and rather quickly.
Cost
Forums and certain social networking tools are free. You could take the time to build relationships with potential customers on a large number of platforms with no cost. And in this regard, truly what you get out of it is what you put in.
On the other side, social networking websites offer great opportunity in regards to paid advertising for Baby Boomers looking to make some extra cash. For instance, Facebook offers targeted marketing. Location, age, sex, keywords, education, workplace, relationship status, relationship interests, and languages are all able to be targeted. With this level of capability and their already established presence, you could definitely find some success with reasonably-priced advertising on Facebook. Other options can also be effective depending on your needs, which make great choices for Baby Boomers.
Activity
The most important step is to be active on the social networking mediums and forums. Regardless of advertising money and budget, try to be as active as possible in reaching your targeted customer base. Building relationships and getting your brand name on popular mediums will allow success to be seen in your business endeavors.
The Baby Boom Entrepreneur, in its article entitled “Can Baby Boomers Use Facebook for Marketing Their Small Business?” makes an excellent point, from one of its users, Dan Hocking:
One thing that is worth considering though; if you can get young users interested in your business through Facebook, it�s likely to be spread rapidly, so that when they do really get into your target, you have a solid base to work off of with little expense to be had. If you�re willing to wait a bit for results, the pay-off could be worth it.
Truly Baby Boomers can utilize the audience available at Facebook and other social networking websites and forums.
Your Business Website
If you want to grow your business and sales efforts, you must be able to reach out to obtain a significant number of leads. It has been said that sales is not a numbers game, but a percentage one. Business sales training statistics reveal how effective methods directed at the right market will obtain success. The more leads and potential customers you have, the better your growth potential.
Bookstores, libraries, and the Internet overflow with valuable sales training articles on how to market and obtain leads. Motivational sales training individuals and business also stress various ways to find your potential customer base.
Utilize traditional and online marketing methods to effectively reach your audience. One method may be preferable, most likely based on the location of the product or services you offer. Free methods exist as well; Facebook alone has 350 million active users around the world. Online social communities offer additional opportunities for smart salespeople to find customers.
Take advantage of free and paid opportunities to get your product in the eyes of your market. If applicable, your sales team training force can utilize some of the newer methods at obtaining more potential customers. Regardless of the case, obtain as many leads as possible and follow through on your leads, as seen in couple of examples in subsequent sections within this article.
Your Business Website
Your website should be effective at capturing the attention of your customers. It should also be strong in its content, from informational articles to any applicable sales that can be done online. Finally, never ignore the power of social networking, even on your website.
Design
Ensure your website can effectively capture the interest of current and potential customers. A clean website with effective images and writing can do wonders for the business, and can additionally set you apart from the competition. It is also important to take advantage of interaction with your customers. Anything from simply being able to converse with your customers by way of comments on posts, to a fully-fledged forum on your website can establish dialogue between you or your company and customers.
Sales
Businesses that offer products of any kind must take advantage of this on its website. If you offer any services of any kind, it is important to establish this on your website and allow customers to purchase products or services. Anything from tangible products to a one-hour session for photographers should be available to your customers.
Having this ability will allow you to streamline the sales of your business. It will also allow you to directly market your products or services on your website and social networks. When the customer is able to purchase products or services on the website, there is a much better chance of making the sale if it can be done, as opposed to the customer going the extra step in a physical store, for instance. Baby Boomers should take the extra effort in order to create success in the future with these methods.
Content
Your website should have informational articles related to your products or services. This is sometimes overlooked, as some businesses obviously cater to selling their products or services. However, include informational articles in and surrounding your niche. This will allow customers to become more knowledgeable regarding what your products and services have to offer. Also, it will create loyalty, as a business that offers valuable information is able to be trusted more than others who do not offer such information.
Perhaps most importantly, search engines will capture your articles and drive traffic to your website. Potentially interested customers will find your articles, and thus your website and its products and services.
Social Networking
Underestimating the power of social networking is always something to avoid, and in this case it is no exception. In building your website or in its alterations, don’t forget to include social networking capabilities. Making your website friendly to these networks will allow you to increase exposure with your website and its relationships to these networks.
ShareThis is a perfect example of one implementation that can bridge your website to social networking sites. The product allows users to share a post on a website of over 40 services. For instance, if one of your customers enjoys a recent sale your website has posted, he or she may hover the mouse over the ShareThis button. Then the user may increase the article’s visibility on a significant number of social mediums, as well as e-mail and bookmarking services.
Having dynamics such as these offers an important element in marketing. As you develop an important customer base, your customers will be more than willing to share posts and items they find interesting on your website. Thus, your customers will be marketing for you. This will certainly drive traffic to your site and increase your success.
About the Author:
Doug Dvorak helps companies and professionals achieve results through customized, creative and non-traditional sales training systems that are “one size fits one” and developed to the unique business needs and “sales pain points” of each client. He is available to speak on these topics.
For more information visit https://salescoach.us or call 847-359-6969 FREE
Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site as long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided.
Copyright 2008 The Sales Coaching Institute, Inc.
Sales Skills Training Strategic Sales Coaching
Doug Dvorak, CEO of DMG International, is the Author of the forthcoming book “Build Your Own Brand” (Pelican, 2009)
