What"s the True Purpose of Social Media? (It May Not Be What You Think) - Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 6-part series entitled, "How to Harness the Power of Web 2.
0 to Increase Your Profits - Even if You're a Complete Beginner.
" In this lesson, we will look at the true purpose of social media and why that is relevant to both online and offline business owners.
With the emergence of "web 2.
0", a lot of internet marketers and entrepreneurs of all kinds have jumped excitedly on the band wagon, like a group of cowboys with high hopes and no plan (at least to start).
Of course, "winging it" is what we all do in chartered territory.
Now that web 2.
0 and social media have been around for several years, though, folks have been able to map out what really works - and what doesn't.
Those who are currently following a tried and true system that works for them are reaping huge rewards: a boost in the number of visitors, a substantial increase in highly targeted traffic, better conversion rates, and ultimately, increased profits in their businesses.
However, there are still many people who have yet to figure out how to even get started, let alone find, tweak, and pursue a top-notch social media traffic system that works for them.
While hoards of people continue to flock to social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, which are simply exploding right now, many do not really understand the purpose of social media.
They want to take advantage of the power of web 2.
0 to grow their businesses, especially their profit margins.
In fact, many of the new followers these sites are seeing every day have joined for that express purpose.
So, what is the true purpose of social media sites anyway? Contrary to a very popular belief, it is not all about getting the vast number of people to immediately flock to your site to buy your "stuff".
Let's step back and examine for a moment what makes offline businesses work.
A business advertises through various means and attracts prospective customers or clients.
These prospects circle the wagons for a while, working to suss out what the business is, what it does for its patrons, and most importantly, what's in it for them specifically.
Smart business owners welcome this review period and employ strategies that allow them to make prospects feel invited, involved, and included.
In other words, they build a relationship with prospects and develop progressive levels of trust with them.
In marketing terms, this is what's known as a ladder of intimacy.
In the brick and mortar business world, prospects develop an attitude of "like, know, and trust" before they ever buy anything.
Granted, sometimes this state of relationship can develop very quickly in certain circumstances; sometimes, it can take years to groom that trust.
Once a prospect becomes a customer, they then climb up the ladder of intimacy and make progressively larger or more frequent purchases (or they become solid repeat customers).
But the key is, a relationship of trust is built before they are ever asked to commit to anything.
On the other hand, in the internet world of business, probably the largest issue is that, because of the whole "instant gratification" mentality, marketers are highly prone to skip over the relationship building stage and head straight for the jugular by asking for an immediate commitment.
While the climate online is different than it is offline, people are still people.
And the fact of the matter is, people still need that trust factor! So, what is the true purpose of social media? To help you develop relationships with folks in your target audience before you invite them to your site to buy your "stuff".
If you use social media properly, you can overcome nearly all objections prior to someone even seeing your site just by letting them get to know you, like you, and trust you first.
They may still have questions you need to answer (you know objections are just unanswered questions, right?), but at least you'll have built the trust that will allow them to ask those questions without fear of what you might say - because even if they disagree with your answer, they still like you.
Now what? If you approach social media from now on with a plan to develop relationships of trust, you will increase the amount of targeted traffic to your site which, in turn, will yield better conversions of people who buy your "stuff".
And that is how you'll see an increase in profits.
So, re-examine each of your social media sites and retool your strategies as needed based on the following questions two questions: 1.
"Does what I'm doing with ________ [name of your social media site or strategy] add value to my followers?" 2.
"Does my strategy here develop a relationship of trust prior to asking a prospect for a commitment?"
0 to Increase Your Profits - Even if You're a Complete Beginner.
" In this lesson, we will look at the true purpose of social media and why that is relevant to both online and offline business owners.
With the emergence of "web 2.
0", a lot of internet marketers and entrepreneurs of all kinds have jumped excitedly on the band wagon, like a group of cowboys with high hopes and no plan (at least to start).
Of course, "winging it" is what we all do in chartered territory.
Now that web 2.
0 and social media have been around for several years, though, folks have been able to map out what really works - and what doesn't.
Those who are currently following a tried and true system that works for them are reaping huge rewards: a boost in the number of visitors, a substantial increase in highly targeted traffic, better conversion rates, and ultimately, increased profits in their businesses.
However, there are still many people who have yet to figure out how to even get started, let alone find, tweak, and pursue a top-notch social media traffic system that works for them.
While hoards of people continue to flock to social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, which are simply exploding right now, many do not really understand the purpose of social media.
They want to take advantage of the power of web 2.
0 to grow their businesses, especially their profit margins.
In fact, many of the new followers these sites are seeing every day have joined for that express purpose.
So, what is the true purpose of social media sites anyway? Contrary to a very popular belief, it is not all about getting the vast number of people to immediately flock to your site to buy your "stuff".
Let's step back and examine for a moment what makes offline businesses work.
A business advertises through various means and attracts prospective customers or clients.
These prospects circle the wagons for a while, working to suss out what the business is, what it does for its patrons, and most importantly, what's in it for them specifically.
Smart business owners welcome this review period and employ strategies that allow them to make prospects feel invited, involved, and included.
In other words, they build a relationship with prospects and develop progressive levels of trust with them.
In marketing terms, this is what's known as a ladder of intimacy.
In the brick and mortar business world, prospects develop an attitude of "like, know, and trust" before they ever buy anything.
Granted, sometimes this state of relationship can develop very quickly in certain circumstances; sometimes, it can take years to groom that trust.
Once a prospect becomes a customer, they then climb up the ladder of intimacy and make progressively larger or more frequent purchases (or they become solid repeat customers).
But the key is, a relationship of trust is built before they are ever asked to commit to anything.
On the other hand, in the internet world of business, probably the largest issue is that, because of the whole "instant gratification" mentality, marketers are highly prone to skip over the relationship building stage and head straight for the jugular by asking for an immediate commitment.
While the climate online is different than it is offline, people are still people.
And the fact of the matter is, people still need that trust factor! So, what is the true purpose of social media? To help you develop relationships with folks in your target audience before you invite them to your site to buy your "stuff".
If you use social media properly, you can overcome nearly all objections prior to someone even seeing your site just by letting them get to know you, like you, and trust you first.
They may still have questions you need to answer (you know objections are just unanswered questions, right?), but at least you'll have built the trust that will allow them to ask those questions without fear of what you might say - because even if they disagree with your answer, they still like you.
Now what? If you approach social media from now on with a plan to develop relationships of trust, you will increase the amount of targeted traffic to your site which, in turn, will yield better conversions of people who buy your "stuff".
And that is how you'll see an increase in profits.
So, re-examine each of your social media sites and retool your strategies as needed based on the following questions two questions: 1.
"Does what I'm doing with ________ [name of your social media site or strategy] add value to my followers?" 2.
"Does my strategy here develop a relationship of trust prior to asking a prospect for a commitment?"
Source...