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34 FEDA News & Views Growing Your Business Online Part 3 By David Limon, eCommerce Solutions Specialist david@davidlimon.com S ocial media has grown at such a rapid pace over the last few years that it's difficult to go a day without hearing the term or an activity associated with it—and it's not just a way of life for the younger generation. As of September 2013, 65 percent of Internet users between the ages of 50-64 were using social media. Interestingly, the percentage of users grows as the age drops. Stats based on socio-economic indicators also are telling. Seventy five percent of Internet users with an annual income greater than $75,000 are using social media. In case you haven't figured out where I am going with this, this is the core group of your customers! But before reaching out to your marketing team and asking them to jump on the bandwagon, let's make sure you understand what it's all about, if it's right for you, and how to use it properly to grow your business. What exactly is social media? Whether you realize it or not, you most likely share content relevant to your business on a daily basis in conversations with your friends, family, and co-workers. Social media is simply tak- ing this content and sharing it on the World Wide Web using a number of social networking services. By nature, we all want to listen and share information and this is what makes social media so effective. Of course, to har- ness the full power of social media, it's important to note that just like a real conversation, social media requires interaction. As with any conversation, you naturally want to listen, share conversations and speak to others in a way that is engaging and encourages them to continue the conversation. The same applies to social media. Using social media to grow your business online is the art of delivering your content in such a compelling way that others will not only want to listen to you, but they will want to share your message. If you do this successfully, social media will drive traffic to your site, grow your relevant audience, and most importantly—drive sales! Posting for Success Social media should not only be used to market your mes- sage or run contests, you will also need to promote your brand, monitor trends, and research new products. There are many techniques you can expect social media marketers to use but you should see to it that at the very least, these five techniques are in their arsenal: eCommerce Solutions Specialist By David Limon, eCommerce Solutions Specialist 1. Engage with your audience- Interact with followers indi- vidually to build a close community and listen to fans and followers who take the time to find you online. Respond to everyone. 2. Avoid overselling- While sharing sales is great, promotional posts should only make up a small percentage of your content. Try to engage your audience without selling to them. Ask questions and encourage discussions and the sharing of ideas. 3. Be visually creative- Finding creative ways to post your graphics, video, and infographs can set you apart from your competitors. Posting graphics of customers using products purchased from you is a great way to strengthen your relationship with existing customers. 4. Be the expert in the industry- Be there to answer ques- tions, provide valuable content and to solve people's problems. Keep these tips in mind with every post and soon enough you will be recognized as an expert in the industry. 5. Build Loyalty- Turn your online audience into lifelong customers by delivering exceptional customer service, showing them that you care, rewarding the loyal, and by continually adding quality content. This is a surefire way to keep them coming back for more. In addition to the five techniques listed, it's important to note you do not need to be on every social media platform. Not every channel is right for every business and unless you have the personnel for it, trying to be on all channels at once is a great way to dilute your quality content and can be coun- terproductive. It Takes Time It's not a bad idea to dabble with social media, if you're in the early stages, but don't expect to see impressive results until you're ready to commit the time and dedication it takes to do it right. Unlike the heavy investment required to market with Google and Bing, most social medial platforms are free to use. The down side to running a successful social media Social Media – What's It All About?