How “Like” unfriendly businesses can leverage social media
Most people will have hard time “Liking” the business page of a therapist, divorce attorney, plastic surgeon, or funeral home on Facebook. It’s difficult for these types of companies to engage in social media marketing because of the stigmas attached to their work. But there are social avenues out there that are more friendly for the socially “unfriendly.”
Blogging
The majority of businesses can benefit from a company blog. No two companies blog for the exact same reason. But for the most part, businesses use blogs as a way to further connect with their consumer. For social media non-friendly companies, a blog can be the best way to engage their target audience virtually.
Let’s say that a family therapy practice is struggling in the search results, and they’re looking for an inexpensive way to rank higher in search engine results. By simply adding a blog and updating it regularly – once or twice a week – they would be consistently adding new content to their website. This gives them a boost in the rankings and it opens up the door to other business opportunities, like speaking engagements and guest blogging from referral generating organizations.
Guest blogging
Blogging on your own site is incredibly beneficial. But blogging on another company’s site provides instant credibility. Guest blogging is a 100% free way to not only connect with other companies and individuals, but also to get more eyes on your website instantly. Successful blogs have a subscribing audience that respects their opinion and trusts their judgment. So when your name and company is on a post, the readers will automatically view you as someone credible.
A final note on blogging: A problem we run into with businesses and their blogs is coming up with ideas for new posts. Yes, it’s a challenge. But consider this: you started a business because you saw void in your market. Your blog gives you another outlet to share your ideas in your own voice with consumers and other businesses alike. So play around with different styles and ideas until you find something that just clicks with your business and your personality. If you have great content, people will come.
We’ve hammered home how important it is to blog, which is exactly why you need Twitter. Twitter is a microblog, and it only takes 140 characters to connect with consumers, fans and potential business partners. Remember how we said a blog starts a conversation? Twitter does it faster.
What makes Twitter special is that the people who follow you could have major influence on a target audience parallel to yours. Maybe you’re a cosmetic surgeon/basketball fan tweeting about the NBA playoffs. Some likes your tweet, responds, and you get into a conversation that starts with basketball but quickly turns into business. That simple tweet could lead to a speaking engagement or even a jump in followers.
Maybe a blog on your site isn’t exactly for your company and Twitter is a little too casual for your target audience. Enter LinkedIn: the Facebook for businesses and networking. The great thing about LinkedIn is that it provides the connectivity of Twitter and the content capability of a blog.
You’re a divorce attorney looking for a few new associates for your firm, but you don’t trust Facebook to be your main avenue for finding quality candidates. Investing in a LinkedIn company profile is your best bet. You’re a click away from full resumes, contact information and references/recommendations of hundreds of local potential candidates. You can also connect with other businesses that are looking for partnerships.
If you need proof of just how powerful of a tool LinkedIn can be for a traditionally non-social business, check out Dell’s company profile. It proves that you can be involved in social media without turning your back on who you are. So get social; you never know what avenues are available until you put your company out there.
