Using social media for various personal and networking purposes is quite common—after all, most of us have either Facebook, or some form of account with an online social networking site. However many people, especially newbies, are relatively unaware of the huge potential of using social media for business.

Before we look at the different ways of how to use social media for business, let’s quickly define what social media really is…

Essentially, a social medium is any website or mobile phone function that allows the user to share content, ideas, thoughts, and even pictures or videos with other people.

Getting the basics out of the way, using social media for business will also require you to know just a little more about the possible avenues that you can explore. For example, setting up a simple blog for your business (using WordPress which is free), is one of the key steps toward effective utilisation of social media. (I recommend that you download my free online success complete cash blueprint to learn more). This will then form the basis for all your activities in social media.

So what are the different types of social media that you can use to promote or expand your online business?

Facebook—yes, that social network from the hugely popular Hollywood movie—boasts over 1.5 billion users from all over the world, and it’s a great place for you to promote your business and interact with your customers or subscribers. Facebook allows for more than just simple status updates, or posting vacation pictures and videos—its huge popularity means your customers will check in frequently to see what your business is up to, in turn sharing your updates or business’ page with their network of friends. It’s the sharing that makes Facebook such a potent business tool, which in the modern world is the equivalent of word of mouth and we all know how powerful that can be.

Twitter is another great way for using social media for business. This social network allows people to post messages, read updates, and include media such as audio, video, and pictures—all using only 140 characters. Twitter will allow you to update your business’s promotional activities in real time, and to be right at the heart of the news that matter’s in your industry (no matter how big or small), but most importantly it also keeps you and your business at the forefront of your clients minds.

YouTube has enjoyed a particular renaissance over the last few years, allowing businesses and organisations to take advantage of its popularity and enormous viewer base. Through this social network, you can share videos and quality content with people who not only want to do business with you, but who want to learn more about you and your products and/or services.

The manner in which you use social media is just as important. You have to make sure that you are professional at all times—post and share things that are relevant to your business, and not your personal life. Make sure that the content you develop is useful and informative for your customers. And more importantly, do not flood your customers with constant updates and hard-sell messages—they will get fed-up and fast, and will simply leave or unsubscribe from your page if they find your updates and messages annoying.

On a final note there are clearly huge benefits to using social media for business. You can reach a whole host of people and most importantly interact with them. But most importantly you can also learn a lot about your customers or subscribers and how to Improve or tailor what it is you do to their needs. In doing so not only are you creating a first class user experience, but your business will also reap the rewards!

Paul Graham

Paul Graham Blog.com