Yodle reviews the benefits of social media outlets

People use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter primarily to stay in touch with one another – by posting photos, status updates and links to things they find valuable. That said, those same people are also consumers, many of which – given the right reasons – will also use social media to connect and engage with companies and brands.

Consequently, using sites, like Facebook, Twitter or even YouTube present opportunities to further engage and build loyalty with current and prospective customers. Given that each community has its own unique set of benefits, we’ve gone ahead and outlined a few ways in which you can use each to your business’s benefit.

Yodle reviews how Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can help promote your business:

Facebook
Facebook is by far the largest social media site, boasting more than 800 million active users, more than 50 percent of which log-on every day. Businesses in every industry have created profiles on Facebook in hopes of deepening their existing client relationships and building new ones.

However, for all the effort that business owners put into Facebook, many struggle with figuring out how to actually use it to their advantage.

Here are a few suggestions of ways you can promote your business on Facebook:

1.  Post new promotions on your profile: If you own a product-based business, you can use Facebook as a way to inform consumers about daily deals and the promotions your company are offering. For example, you could post incentives, informing users that if they buy a product today, they will also receive free shipping. You could also post a direct link to your professional website or e-commerce store.

2.  Provide special coupons for Facebook users: One of the many benefits of using Facebook is its social nature. You can offer your Facebook friends better promotions than those consumers who may find your website organically. Giving online friends a percentage off when they shop at your e-commerce store will entice them into shopping with you, but it will also persuade them into telling their friends about the great deals. You may think offering deals to your Facebook friends limits your advertising, but in fact, it brings more friends to your profile in the long run through word of mouth.

3.  Share customer reviews. Yes, social media is a place where consumers go to find special deals on products and services but they are also hoping to learn what local businesses are all about. They want to get a feel for the personality of businesses they are considering using and see real-life experiences that existing customers are having. Customer opinions heavily influence the purchasing decisions of other consumers. If you post positive reviews you have gotten from your customers in a specific review section on your Facebook page, consumers will easily be able see how you have helped people. Keep reviews organized under one tab (or “app”) on your Facebook page. You can see an example of this by looking at Yodle reviews on Facebook from our customers.

Twitter
Twitter is a fast-paced “micro blogging” site where people post short messages called “tweets”. There are thousands of tweets posted every minute that users can search through via keywords to immediately join in on a conversation that is underway. Furthermore, the social media site allows consumers the chance to keep up with the latest developments happening with any industry, business or public figure.

Here are two tips to consider when using Twitter:

1.  If you’re going to use Twitter, it is important to regularly post content. While you only have 140 characters to get your message across in each tweet, with mobile browsing becoming more common on smartphone devices, consumers are willing to click a provided link and see what promotion may be waiting on the other side. Offering coupons through Tweets can drive sales, as on-the-go consumers can be informed about a deal and immediately make a purchase through their smartphones.

2.  You can send out mass messages to your followers about events that your business is hosting. If you run a small business, like a law firm, and are initiating a special promotion on your services, you can inform your followers about the savings they will receive by employing your assistance.

YouTube
YouTube is a versatile social community. It has been around for years, acting as a platform for people to post videos . Businesses can utilize its breadth of exposure by uploading unique video content. Organizations can then distribute their uploading video content on their other social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter.

Video content is becoming even more important to consumers as people often prefer to learn new information through visual aids, rather than by reading lengthy articles. YouTube offers big opportunities for businesses to promote their content through video, as postings on the social media site often show up through organic search engines.

In most cases, social media shouldn’t be your sole method of advertising. In fact, spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube can prevent your business focusing on other projects. Usually, using social media in conjunction with your other marketing campaigns, whether online or offline, is the best formula for success.