Selling Through Social Media

Lots of the more traditional printers can often be heard lately complaining that things like the Internet are taking away sales and eroding profits—but what about learning how to work with the many forms of this new media to stage a counter-attack and reposition your business on a sign of marketing strength?

Like printing, marketing is a dynamic phenomenon with changes taking place all the time. Cutting-edge sales advisors may now be leveraging their results at a faster speed than previous generations by harnessing the power of "new media." Going beyond basic e-mail marketing, social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are being used to spread the word about oneself more effectively and with a wider range than anything that's come before.

And while this is considered a "young person's" medium, there's no reason others cannot utilize these tools. Other good business networking sites include: TalkBizNow and Spoke.

"Facebook is home to an extremely desirable demographic – educated 18-26 year olds – and it's where they feel comfortable," noted Steve Holzner, author of Facebook Marketing: Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business. "Facebook excels at connecting users with friends and keeping them in touch. That's what social networking is all about."

While this is for a generation that's grown up in front of a computer, social networking is not about making direct sales but rather about building a presence and reputation that associates you with your business and the solutions you provide. But beware, such sites can be brutally honest as people tend to speak freely on them. What this means for you is that you need to be prepared to deliver as promised and back up everything you say about yourself and your company.

One of the key benefits however, is that social marketing/networking can provide an increased Return-on-Investment (ROI) as well as a positive change in your business image. It's also very cost-efficient and low risk when compared with other forms of traditional marketing. Another benefit is that with this type of marketing you can learn a great deal about your client/prospect base whether you make a sale or not and begin to compile potentially useful information while spreading your business reputation.

"Learning to market on the social Web requires learning a new way to communicate with an audience in a digital environment," noted Larry Weber, author of, Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business. "It does not require executives to forget everything they know about marketing. It does mean they have to open their mind to new possibilities, social change and rethinking past practices."

Consider LinkedIn the leading business-networking site. It boasts some 35 million registered users and is technically a general social-networking website but is mainly used for business purposes. Facebook dwarfs all competitors with some 235 million users around the world but most are on for social purposes. Other general social-networking sites include Classmates.com and Tagged.com. Others get specific such as BlackPlanet which is for African-Americans. CafeMom serves mothers. Care2 is for green living and social activism.

Targeting Young Professionals

Facebook, the giant of the space, is predominantly a social site but it is occasionally used for business purposes by participants. In Wilmington, N.C., Jackie Willse uses Facebook to promote the Wilmington Young Professionals Network, a grass-roots business-development/social group.

"The area lacked a young professional's group," recalled Willse who started promoting her group in February after returning to the area. It now has some 230 members, nearly all under the age of 40. Networking events are used to exchange business cards but also to foster greater social/business bonds among the members. Groups founded online tend to operate in a faster dynamic than their more traditional counterparts such as Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Groups.

"Facebook is great for keeping yourself in front of those who you wish to stay in touch with," said Willse. "It's faster than traditional means of communication as you can learn so much more about a person or promote information about yourself and have it read much more quickly than a traditional way. It can give you a fast start."

Such a start was critical for Willse who wanted others to know she'd moved back to the Wilmington area and was working to grow her business. The group's first social night, held at a local restaurant had initially received some 30 "electronic RSVPs." Ultimately, about 90 young professionals attended the event.

"Once others saw on Facebook who was attending, interest grew and more people made an effort to come," said Willse. "You cannot duplicate this type of action with mailed invitations or cold calling. The social networking builds a kind of excitement and interest grows." With social-networking sites, when one posts information on their profile, "friends" those who've asked to correspond with you and your network, automatically receive it, providing extraordinary marketing reach with minimal cost and effort. While Willse admits her Facebook-founded business-development organization has not led to her finding any new business it has definitely made many more people aware of what she does and in the process, she's had a lot of fun. "Face-to-face marketing is never going to go away," she said. "But with social networking, things will move at an accelerated pace."

Any printer can get started on Facebook and ask to open a dialogue with others who are interested in learning more about printing, graphic design, paper purchasing etc. Do not view it as a means for direct sales but as a way to cost effectively grow your reputation and to learn about what prospects are thinking. With some 235 million users, there are bound to be a few involved in printing. It can be an ideal way to lead others to your company's Web site and to build up an "exclusive" list of potential print buyers or open an online dialogue and cultivate clients.

Joseph Finora is a marketing writer and creative professional. Questions can be sent to jfinora@optonline.net.