As the year comes to a conclusion, pundits have already begun talking about the social media predictions for 2012. In all fairness, you have to agree that social media has turned out to be a major hit in 2011, determining the longevity and success of various products, movies and even governments. So, no matter how hard you try to argue against it, social media will play a major role in 2012.

So, here is a look at some of the predictions:

Google+ and what will happen to it

Google+ obviously is not going to break over and surpass Facebook. There is still time for that but Google+ surely will hold its feet. One advantage that Google has is its wide platform and various other services like YouTube and Google search to which the Google+ can be integrated. Still, Facebook’s quality is better and it will keep on growing. Google+ can take solace from the fact that it is the second best out there. If they can lure in more people, they will have a bright chance.

A billion Facebook users

Facebook has 800 million now and it will be only a matter of time till it reaches a billion. Most probably that will happen by mid 2012. If Facebook was a country, it will be the third largest then. Google+ is surely not slowing them and with newer people from various developing countries coming in, the billion marks will be achieved very easily.

Integration of location-based services will increase

People have begun searching for bars, hotels and restaurants in their location through the internet. So, the demand for such services will increase vividly. Such services with the push technology will get integrated into mobile phones and tablets. The demand for such applications will also increase sharply.

News applications will grow

The Washington Post integrated its application in Facebook and it has become viral. Everyone is using it and reading news through it. In 2012, news websites will face a severe setback and their applications will get popular. It is a good thing after all, you are getting people to read news in Facebook and other sites instead of making them comment of pictures and play games. Moreover, it will also increase the user base to that particular news provider.

E-commerce will become a major hit

The integration between eBay and Facebook will provide the major key to this. In 2011, the number of people buying stuff through the internet has increased greatly and it is not going to reduce in 2012 too. Most companies have brought their stuff online and are even giving attractive options to people who buy through their website. Food, apparel, electronics and even health care items are very popular in the e-commerce world these days.

Whether you like it or not, social media is here to stay. So, better get used to it and try to reap off the best from it. And one more thing, the social marketing thing is also going to get very vigorous and so, you can never escape from all the advertisements.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. She recently bought a Steiner Binoculars. These days she is busy in witting an article on folding bike.

Just like other social media tools, Facebook can be very effective in helping businesses to communicate with their target audiences.

At Quest PR we maximise both traditional communications and social marketing tools to underpin our SME clients’ business plans. So our first piece of advice – before you think about setting up a Facebook page – is, as always, to carefully consider your key messages and the audiences you are trying to reach.

The Facebook audience is massive: there are over 30 million active users in the UK, a figure that has trebled in three years. Of that audience, the majority is female, 77 per cent of users are under 40 years old and over half are aged between 13 and 29. If this isn’t your core audience you should think seriously about whether Facebook is for you.

If you’re still convinced, the next consideration is that most people use Facebook to chat to their friends and play games. The way you communicate has to fit in with this to be effective.

This means content should be a mix of customer engagement, unique offers and articles promoting your corporate social responsibility. People don’t want the hard sell.

The key is to plan your content and tie it in with your marketing activities. Although you can’t simply recreate an ad, think of other ways to communicate, for example, how the seasons affect your business, the success of events and product launches, or a celebration of the company’s birthday.

Images are becoming increasingly vital to making an impact on Facebook. The five most recent images appear at the top of the page but can be manipulated. This creates a brand identity for your page. Some big stores like Debenhams use their page like a banner ad, giving information on sales and products, whilst others like Adidas post sporting images that match their brand.

The next layer of content is videos. Why bore your audience with a long paragraph explaining how to do something complicated when a short video can convey the same message in a much more dynamic and interesting way.

A really successful Facebook site will keep people coming back by regularly updating content and offering something of value. This might be letting people know about forthcoming events – which you can video or photograph. Transport the buzz back onto the Facebook site and complete the circle by asking people to comment on the event and what you could do differently next time.

Polls and applications can help you gather feedback or offer something extra to visitors. Although you may need to work with a developer, you can create tools that help your potential customers before they’ve even got in contact with you.

But how do you measure success? Don’t just chase ‘likes’. The link between likes and active engagement can be very tenuous: the successful celebrity pages with millions of followers show that only 0.004% of their ‘likes’ actively engage with the site.

It’s more important to focus on the number of unique users and to check whether your users are clicking through to your website. Ask yourself on an ongoing basis: how can the content help my customers get a better level of service or added value? Engaging effectively with your audience is key to them taking the next step of doing business with you.

Which companies’ Facebook sites work well? Share your thoughts with us!

 Quest PR is delighted to be included in the latest edition of the fab Brand Yorkshire business-to-business magazine aimed at CEOs, MDs, professional services and owner managed businesses.

Below is our article on the importance of fusing PR and social media to turbo charge your business goals.     The seismic internet developments have revolutionised the way small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) communicate – and social media has unleashed a plethora of vibrant platforms through which businesses can engage, share and learn with existing clients, prospects, peers and business partners.

In a climate where already saturated sectors face the prospect of a double dip recession, the challenges of falling sales, low brand recognition and peer-awareness are intensified. Investing resource in integrated campaigns will facilitate the prolonged road to recovery.

With more and more contracts and referrals clinched via blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter – coupled with the ‘Facebook for Business’ online guide to stimulate business promotion via social networking – companies who bury their heads in the sand will find their social media savvy competitors stealing a proverbial march.        

Social media is most powerful as part of a ‘joined up’ communications programme which complements and drives business goals – whether they be annual targets for turnover, gross margin, costs and profitability, or a five year exit strategy in which PR and social media are integral to boosting a company’s profile and desirability to derive maximum sale value.   

All indications reinforce that companies whose social media strategies turbo charge their business plan and work in tandem with their traditional PR and marketing campaigns are best placed to enjoy business growth as well as saving time and costs.    

Quest PR, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, champions this approach and has trained hundreds of owner managers and entrepreneurs to adopt it – with powerful results – in regular workshops launched in April 2010.

 Achieving PR and social media stand out  

Many of us are familiar with the expression ‘Content is king’ and there many similar skills required to ensure success with marketing, PR and social media. Most crucial is compiling strong collateral to stimulate and interest your respective audiences.  

In the same way that weak storylines, overtly promotional press releases or bland comment from organisations seeking to position themselves as ‘experts’ in their sectors will not see the light of day in traditional print and broadcast outlets, businesses who push sales-led or outdated/boring content which fails to add value to their social media audiences will lose their followers and credibility.

In a relentless cyber climate where 100 million users on LinkedIn, 640 million on Facebook and 175 million on Twitter are vying for their voice to be heard – planning and rolling out interesting and provocative content to engage, share and learn with your followers is pivotal to success.

Furthermore, with 60 per cent of online content predicted to comprise video by 2013, incorporating video as part of your integrated campaign on your website and in blogs is vital. 

Rolling out content across multiple platforms

The formula below fuses marketing, PR and social media through economies of scale.

• Plan your content to avoid a ‘scattergun approach’ – what are you communicating  that is new, unusual or different to achieve stand out from your competitors? Set up a marketing, PR and social media planning template to enable you to see and follow through the joined up formula.     
• Don’t fall into the trap of ditching your traditional PR activities. As former print and broadcast journalists with organisations including Sky TV and BBC, we advocate harnessing these profile-building channels. Continue to test and measure and keep doing what works well – whether it is press releases, commissioned articles, winning awards to help secure contracts or attract top talent, or being invited on radio and TV as an industry expert. If the latter we’d advise being media trained to ensure you are invited back time and again. The increase in online media likewise presents unprecedented opportunities to boost your profile, your expertise and your search engine optimisation (SEO).    
• Listen before launching into social media – and seek out the relevant platforms to bolster the business goals. Where are your clients, prospects and partners engaging – and with who? Use tools such as Google alerts to see who is saying what about your brand, your industry and your competitors. This intelligence gathering will steer you to the appropriate tools and platforms. 
• Get close to your influencers such as your top referrers and the media. Take advantage of the proliferation of journalists on Twitter seeking stories, case studies and comment.
• After researching your target audiences, get your ‘ducks in a row’ by planning and launching your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube profiles. Keep focused on who you are following and why – and sustain rich content to ‘feed’ these channels.
• Having developed your profiles, followers and ‘likes’ launch a blog with 3-4 posts to make it look more established. Tailor your PR material such as ‘How to’ top tips, new appointments/promotions, crystal-gazing or simplifying complex legislation into blog posts. Blogs enable reporters to better understand your business and expertise and more journalists validate interviewees after checking out their blogs and their LinkedIn credentials. Line up guest posts with key influencers with a flourishing social media following who will promote their guest contributions across their channels. Allocate time to comment on influencers’ blogs.
• Get video blogging (v’logging). Include a ‘meet the team’ v’log in your launch blog. Video’s powerful medium gives businesses a personality and vehicle to showcase their expertise and their ethos. In our experience, video is a magnet for your prospects to feel like they know you before commissioning your services. SMEs’ hunger to complement their PR and media training skills with video blogging ‘nous’ has been the catalyst for our journalist-led team to extend our training courses to include video blogging where we teach clients to write, prepare, film, present and edit video blogs. Google loves video and a video blog is 50 times more effective than a written blog in SEO terms.
• Increase your blog following via automated platforms such as Hootsuite or TweetDeck which will inform your followers across LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter when your blogs go ‘live’. These platforms enable you to schedule content in advance – an enormous benefit for time-strapped SMEs.
• Draw on PR and blog content to drive and engage in LinkedIn discussions and increase traffic. Be disciplined about the number of groups you join, and stay on track with your content. If setting up your own LinkedIn discussion group, ensure you have adequate resource to sustain it in order to keep your company at the heart of your discussions.
• Tailor your rich PR and social media content into regular e-newsletters featuring advice, forecasting, case studies and media appearances. Preview upcoming blog topics and invite recipients to join the blogging debate.
• Measure your return on engagement. As with traditional marketing and PR campaigns, establish up front what success will look and feel like. In addition to driving sales and leads, some businesses measure success via blog analytics and the number of blog comments and guest post invitations.
• Allocate a level of resource and ownership for your integrated campaign and be disciplined about adhering to it. Allow for additional set up time and stick to your planning schedule. Finally, sustain the killer content and momentum. In line with the adage that ‘enthusiasm is the electricity of business’, keep your campaign fresh and vibrant.  

For maximum impact fuse your marketing, PR and social media through a ‘Tell them, tell them you’ve told them – and tell them again’ formula as reinforced in our 12-step plan.

For example, the ‘tell them’ could, be commissioning and writing a PR article for your trade or regional press, the ’tell them you’ve told them’ can entail you adopting this article for a blog post and asking your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter followers to comment on it. For the ‘tell them again’ you can tailor and revise the content to spark a LinkedIn discussion and also adapt the content for enewsletters.

With further tough times forecast, plummeting stock markets and major budget cuts on an unprecedented global scale, now is the time to reignite your communications strategy by maximising and fusing the old and the new. Investing time and focusing on ramping up and integrating traditional PR and marketing with social media and video will keep you ‘in sight and in mind’ when customers and prospects are ready to buy. Without a presence and voice, they may well approach your competitors who are engaging with them regularly through social media platforms.     

Share your thoughts and tips with us.

The development of native apps for mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone is often an expensive process. Many of the small-medium sized businesses I speak to are struggling to find the necessary budget to develop content for these platforms, despite the increasing significance of online mobile marketing and communications.

Unfortunately for them iPhones, Androids and tablet PCs are now almost ubiquitous on the Stockholm subway. Every day I see commuters gazing into their Facebook app, online newspaper, Twitter client or so on.

There are, of course, those commuters that prefer to while away the journey listening to music, audio books and radio.

For businesses looking to tap into the mobile market but without the budget to invest in app development, as well as those looking to bring a new flavour to their marketing and communications, audio podcasting is potentially a less expensive but equally significant tactic to get your content consumed by people on the go.

What’s more, people are increasingly listening to podcasts. According to Edison Research, for example, podcasting is doing better now than ever before. In 2010:

• 45% of all Americans were aware of podcasting
• 23% of Americans said they listen to podcasts, which has increased from 11% in 2006.

Edison Research estimated that 70 million people have listened to or viewed a podcast in the US alone!

Cost of Entry

Assuming you can cover hosting costs of approximately 15 USD a month and the necessary salary to cover a couple of hours work per episode, the cost of entry to business podcasting is relatively low compared to the thousands often required for app development.

You can get started with as little as a USB mic, computer and free audio editing software. Garageband, which ships with every Mac, is great for audio recording and editing and you’ll get great results too with Audacity, which is also free, and works on both the Mac and Window platform.

Sure, you can take your show to the next level by investing in a dynamic mic, mixing desk and digital recorder, but even this kind of set-up won’t exactly break the bank.

The Real Business Benefits

Personally, I realised the benefits of podcasting after one very short piece of audio content landed me two major consulting gigs within one day of publishing it on my website.

In the year since I started podcasting not only has the podcast I produce opened up more training and speaking opportunities, it’s helped me to grow my network, generate leads and ultimately more business.

I always ask new customers how they found Jontus Media and although most come through the website or recommendations and referrals, many tell me the the podcast persuaded them to get in touch. I’ve been told: “I felt I knew you,” on more than one occasion.

A British canine behaviourist who I make a podcast for recently had an episode of her show downloaded 4000 times in twenty-four hours.

Now this figure might pale into insignificance compared to the number of people that might glance at your glossy add in a newspaper or magazine, or even online; but a podcast enabled my client to be literally talking to each of those listeners, generating a real sense of who she is and what her skills are.

Through her podcast she was able to speak to 4000 people, and this in turn gave her the opportunity to stand out from the competition, connect more closely with her audience, and communicate directly with those that enjoy consuming audio content on the go whilst they commute, workout or go for a walk. And let’s not forget that this also gave her a great chance to build trust and belief in her skills and services.

Karen herself says: “Podcasting has opened up a direct, friendly channel to my potential clients, building trust in my brand and delivering it straight to their ears”.

Portability & Access

So if you can’t quite invest in app development to boost your mobile content marketing – and even if you can ! – you might want to look into how podcasting is a wonderful tactic to build new business relationships online.

To listen to an interview with QuestPR’s very own Sharon Cain in conversation with Jon Buscall, click over here.

Many new social media sites heralded as ‘the next big thing’ have come and gone, but when Google+, a new social media site has been developed by Google – you have to sit up and take notice.

Despite all of Google’s failures in social media with Google Wave and Google Buzz, Google+ has attracted a great deal of interest and a high uptake, attracting 20 million users in three weeks.

So what is Google+?

It’s basically a micro-blogging platform which is half Twitter, half Facebook. It manages your contacts like Twitter. You chose who you want to follow and put them into ‘circles’ which allow you to just look at updates from particular groups of people. 

Google +1 is the equivalent of a “like” on Facebook and several company websites are already including the +1 button alongside their “follow on Twitter” and “Like” buttons.

Updates can integrate images, video and external links, are unrestricted and are shown as a stream of information, with the latest information at the top.

How original is it? 

There are some original ideas. Most relate to the Hang Out area. Google+ has integrated its chat service into Google+ and allows you to break out of the micro-blogging area to chat to friends by text or video, making it an alternative for Skype.

Is it for companies or for individuals?

Google+ is designed for individuals rather than companies. There have been company accounts deleted already, making it impractical to promote your business in the same way as Twitter or Facebook.

It is a way of promoting an individual’s profile and reputation and is a good platform if you have something to say or are a ‘thought leader’. The chat features might also be useful for collaborative workers involved in offsite project work.  You’d need to put some effort in to updating your profile, although being attached to the world’s biggest search engine must come with some advantages.

Is it worth the time investment? 

Many companies have invested substantial money and time into creating their profiles on existing social media platforms.  The real question is whether businesses will pour the same level of investment starting from scratch on Google+ – particularly when the medium is unable to support brands and companies?

I personally can’t see a deluge of them embarking on it – meaning it will remain a niche social media.

Other than linking up to other services already available, there isn’t a need for anyone other than the curious technology enthusiast to use the platform. They make up the majority of users on this ‘grown-up’ Facebook.

However it’s worth keeping an eye on as Google creates more and more cloud based services where documents can be created and stored on their systems rather than on your laptop using Microsoft software.  What are your thoughts on the benefits or otherwise of Google+?

The importance of social media platforms has been emphasised by Quest PR in a number of previous blog posts. Now we’re going to examine the role of viral videos – videos which are shared peer to peer, generating huge buzz and free publicity across the web, and which can be posted on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.    

There have been a number of big viral successes in recent years. The Old Spice ‘Man your man could smell like’ video generated around 6 million hits in 24 hours and rejuvenated the brand, which then increased its sales by 106% from the previous year.  Other notable videos have been made by Sony Bravia, also on YouTube, and an interactive trailer for The Last Exorcism film on Chatroulette.

Most bloggers analysing the trend agree that a successful video needs to strike an emotional chord with its audience, the two most common and effective emotions being humour and/or shock.

However, engaging content is not the only – or even necessarily the most important – element of a popular viral video. With about 200,000 videos uploaded to YouTube daily, it is no longer enough to have just a funny or thought provoking video. 

Generating external coverage for videos is now big business, with many start-up businesses offering a minimum guarantee of 100,000 hits or no charge. This involves huge networks of friends on Facebook, strategic tagging of videos and often multiple accounts on forums and social media platforms, all to create a ‘buzz’ around these video clips and drive them to new audiences.

So what does the future hold for viral videos? Forward-thinking companies view them as a largely untapped resource, without the audience wariness that accompanies traditional forms of marketing. Social media and YouTube continue to grow in popularity and the rise of the Smartphone means peer to peer sharing can now be done faster and much more regularly. 

The continuing success of viral videos may also act as a prompt to PR companies who should doubtless be considering how video can enhance their clients’ marketing activity and public image. The internet already offers great opportunities for wider coverage than press and television outlets combined and clients may well begin to expect more bang for their buck, targeting an audience share that can easily run into the millions, not just the hundreds of thousands.

Which viral video works best for you? Tell us and we’ll see if any popular favourites emerge!

Aptly named the social media generation, young people are leading the way in building lucrative businesses both on and offline. Yorkshire’s young entrepreneurs - as highlighted in the Yorkshire Business Insider’s recent 42 Under 42 awards -  are certainly no strangers to the benefits of online communication tools and are instrumental in shaping the region’s business environment.

Providing inspiration to decision makers everywhere, Quest PR takes a look at some of Yorkshire’s ‘young guns’ who are kicking up a social media storm…

Michael Ord

Founder and managing director of ‘virtual high street’ Frooly.com, Michael has applied old fashioned values to new online technology. The concept is simple; to help local and independent businesses create an online presence by providing them with a free website, and then if required give them the option of paying for a private virtual shop. Michael harnesses social media to engage both customers and businesses in his unique concept. A lively blog discusses product updates, press coverage, tips for retailers and even social media advice. A Facebook page enables interaction between website members and customers, Twitter ensures fans are kept constantly informed and LinkedIn provides a virtual address book of contacts and clients.

Emma- Louise Trotter

Owner of The Bespoke Cupcake Company in Harrogate, Emma turned a part-time hobby into a tasty business! As well as making cakes, Emma expanded the business to create a Bespoke Café where fans can enjoy her delicious produce. A scrumptious Facebook page tempts Emma’s fans with daily posts and photo uploads of the latest treats in store, Twitter entices potential clients and visitors to the café while LinkedIn provides Emma’s professional profile and interaction with various networking groups.

Gareth Davies

Gareth has revolutionised the world of online learning with FrogTrade, a website for children which is now used by more than 15 per cent of UK secondary schools. Young people’s entertainment is dominated by online gaming and media and FrogTrade has joined this market with bespoke virtual learning services. An informative blog provides updates on the website, Twitter keeps schools and customers in the loop, whilst Gareth’s LinkedIn page places clients and colleagues at the touch of a button.

Who are you favourite young guns – and why?  Share your thoughts with us in our comment  box below.

Making social media work for you as a business requires a planned, focused and integrated approach to ensure that your PR, social media and marketing activities are turbo charging your business plan.

Business owners, MDs and managers signing up to Quest’s social media workshops leave buzzing with ideas about great content they can roll out across the social media platforms. They also have a wealth of questions – some of which are below – about how to approach and manage their social media campaigns. We’d also love to hear your questions and comments.

1)      Why does my business need a social media strategy?

With the wealth of information spelling out how critical social media is to companies’ survival – and success – over the next five years, businesses are harnessing it to engage with existing clients and prospects to help drive sales and open new doors.     

The seismic web developments have dramatically changed the way we communicate. We no longer need to frustratingly try to get through to our wish list of prospects on the telephone – only to be barred by those formidable ‘gatekeepers’. We can now find and engage with the right people online      

Before setting off half-cocked, it’s important to put a strategy in place to effectively increase your online exposure and traffic. Decide on your key messages and target audience. Develop a ‘joined up approach’ linking your traditional PR with social media for a hard hitting campaign. The effective process of ‘tell them’ (for example place expert comment in your target media),’ tell them you’ve told’ them’ (adapt the expert comment for a blog post) and ‘tell them again’ (tweeting the expert comment, include them in your enewsletters  and start a conversation about the issues in the expert comment on LinkedIn) will pay dividends.

2)      Should I use every platform?

On a practical level it’s not feasible to utilise every social media site. We recommend you initially do some ‘intelligence gathering’ to find out which platforms your influencers, clients and prospects are using and then decide (always referring back to the business plan) which are the most appropriate to cherry pick and target accordingly. For example, if you are a consumer-led enterprise, LinkedIn may not be the most focused way to reach your prime targets. It is commonly accepted that Facebook is popular with Generations X and Y while the 40s upwards are more likely to reside on LinkedIn and Twitter.

3)      How much time do I need to dedicate to social media?

Initially, you need to do some legwork to create a strategy, develop killer content and build up your connections. Once this is set in motion you can run your social media like a military operation. Dashboard sites such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck are a one-stop-social-media-shop which allows users to manage all their platforms from one site, where tweets and status updates can be scheduled weeks or months in advance. Our clients spend anything from one hour to half a day a week and say that adopting a ‘joined up’ approach and rolling out great content across multiple platforms (as referred to in the first answer) saves them time.  

4)      When will it start paying off?

Be patient as Rome wasn’t built in a day! In the adage that the more put in, the more you get out , social media also takes time to build up followers, respect and trust which won’t happen overnight.  Set in place a storming marketing, PR and social media plan and engage and share content with your followers and audiences. By continuing to develop your contacts and produce engaging content you will see it start to take off. The challenge then is to sustain the momentum!   

5)      How do I measure how my efforts are progressing? 

You can monitor your Return on Engagement (ROE) n OI through various tools including Google Analytics measure blog and website traffic and pinpoints what are the most popular posts.  It is important to set in place Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so you can test and measure your impact on an ongoing basis. There are some great blog posts with tips on this subject  

What is your most frequently asked social media question? Post your question below.

Feeling under pressure to develop your connections and testimonials on Linkedin?

Feeling chirpy or out of tune with keeping up with Twitter and Facebook?

Feeling dizzy at the prospect of constantly nurturing all these contacts?

Relax, you are not alone. An online study conducted by the Edinburgh Napier University discovered that those with a high volume of social media contacts are feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to constantly update their audience with something new and interesting.

The key to success in maximising your online presence as a platform to project you and your business in a positive light is to manage it effectively.

Exhaustion sets in when social media users launch into testing our one particular channel or platform and then become very frustrated when it is not delivering news leads or clients because they have not adopted a ‘joined up’ approach. By this we mean aligning your business strategy with your marketing, PR and social media campaigns.

To save time and manage your social media tools under one roof, tap into one-stop-platforms such as  Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or Socialoomph.  As social networking is constantly advancing, update  your knowledge through Mashable or Quest’s tailor made courses to stay a few clicks ahead of your competitors.

To help you stay on track, keep asking yourself:

• Are my social media activities linked to my business plan?
• Am I maximising my content across my PR, marketing and social media platforms?
• Am I measuring my return on engagement?

What do you do to best manage your social media tools? We’d love to hear from you.

Recent statistics suggest that 80% of businesses, who engage with social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook etc are only communicating with their audiences one way.

What does this mean? Well, simply put, the other 20% are turning that social media engagement into business.

It’s easy, for anyone new to social media, to be forgiven for taking literally the advice of many social media experts, who tell you that this ‘new form’ of marketing is all about providing valuable information to your network and to avoid selling at all costs.

Firstly, let me tell you, I totally agree that you should avoid heavy selling tactics when engaging with others via social media sites. However, there comes a point where someone needs to suggest that a meeting takes place, with a view to doing business.

The most successful companies using social media sites are the ones who make a connection with a prospective business partner or client through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and then ensure that they engage with them regularly, either by providing valuable information to them or by responding to articles or discussions posted by their new ‘friend’.

Once a degree of trust has been built between you and your new social media contact, it’s at that point that I believe it is important that the relationship is then moved off-line and conversations take place that suggest doing business together.

Why else are we all LinkedIn or any other social media site, if it is not to do business? Sharing useful information is important as far as brand positioning is concerned, this is marketing. At the end of the marketing funnel though, there needs to be a sales strategy.

What’s yours?

Have a great rest of your week.

Best wishes
Steve

Steve Phillip is an expert in helping businesses to create sales strategies to grow their client base, through social media

steve@linked2success.co.uk http://uk.linkedin.com/in/stevephillip http://twitter.com/linked2success