Social Media for Business = People Power!1

A Nielsen Study reported 92% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends over all other advertising.  The power of a personal referral or testimonial can be a crucial factor when someone is making a purchasing decision.  So how do you get your clients telling the world how amazing your products, services or expertise are?


Social Media
Social media is the new word of mouth advertising.  With Facebook recently hitting one billion users, many of whom log in three to fourteen times every day, the "Like" and "Share" buttons are quickly becoming a brands best friend to reaching a larger audience.  Social media provides a more casual forum to share content more often with users who have already indicated interest in your business by joining or following your feed.     

Another distinct advantage Facebook has over many other social media platforms is the accessibility and ease of sharing from mobile devices, which continues to drive increasing numbers of users to "check-in" at local businesses when finding a minute of boredom, waiting in line, or walking the street... (excuse me!) 


Online Reviews
Savvy consumers are investigating local businesses now more than ever through sites such as Yelp and Google+.   These are likely qualified leads about to make a purchasing decision based upon your previous customers experiences, and your last chance to convince them that your company is a reputable, accessible and superior alternative to the competition.

Incentives, online surveys and QR codes directing your customers to review sites are great low-cost ways to generate a wealth of positive online brand endorsement before you're scrambling to bury the one bad review that someone (inevitably) posts. 


Just ask!
Write a letter to your top ten clients asking for a personal endorsement; ask customers at the end of each appointment or delivery if they would endorse your brand with an online review (having an iPad handy is a smart move in this situation).  You can also create a postcard or insert to be mailed out with each invoice or statement, directing customers on where to share their experiences on.  You can then feature these testimonials on your website, post to social media, and include on print media to tell everyone how great your company is- without having to say a word.

Jason McSweeney is the Marketing Mastermind behind dream ink, a creative promotions and web design company located in Downers Grove, Illinois.  You can read his blog here: dream2ink.blogspot.com or visit the dream ink website atwww.dream2ink.com