How Can Social Media Benefit Your Business?

In 2008, I spoke on the main stage of the Direct Selling Association’s (DSA) Annual Meeting in front of 1,000 or so direct sales executives, and stated that I believe that social media is the future of direct sales.  There are so many parallels between what we do as direct sellers, and how social media operates.  I also believe that social media is an incredible force within the marketing plan of ANY business.  What are some of the activities of a successful business owner?  Networking, Providing valuable information, Developing relationships which lead to people buying your products.  And these are all activities that lead to successful social media marketing as well.Think about it: most people don’t walk around with a sign around their necks that says “I’m looking for your type of product to solve my problems.”  However, in social media forums, people DO talk about their problems and needs, and when we do targeted searches and build relationships with people, this makes it very easy for us as business owners to specifically reach out to those people that ARE interested.  And that greatly improves our success rate.So here are some specific things that I believe social media can do for a business:

• FIND PROSPECTS who are looking for your products right now
• Provide BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE than you ever thought possible
• Position yourself as an EXPERT that people go to for product recommendations
• BUILD COMMUNITIES of people that want what you have to offer, and who will refer their friends to you
• Grow professionally as you LEARN from the best of the best

All of this will result in additional income for your business.Now it’s important to note, this does not REPLACE your other core business activities. You must continue to engage in your other income-producing activities.  Rather, it enhances these, because social media gives you access to MORE PEOPLE.  It also enables you to specifically target your niche market through keyword searches, so your efforts are more efficient and productive.

So what do you think?  Are you using social media marketing for your business?  What results have you seen?  I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below!  And if you’d like to receive more articles about how social media marketing can help your business, why not sign up for my newsletter?

Cheers!Jennifer FongJennifer Fong helps direct sales companies, direct sales professionals, and other home-based business owners leverage the power of social media to grow their businesses. A former direct sales company CEO and serial entrepreneur, Jennifer is passionate about teaching direct sellers how to use social media tools to enhance their businesses, while remaining true to the basics of a party plan business. She helps business owners put the principles of social media to work in a profitable way, maximizing the return on their social media investment.  Visit Jennifer’s Direct Sales & Social Media blog at http://liajen.wordpress.com and subscribe to her newsletter by clicking here.