How to make your business social media ready...

Presented By – Siddheshwar Bhagunde

1. B.C.A (Bachelors in computer application) 2. MBA from MET (Digital business management)3. Intern At PEHLAJOB – Online Job Portal

PROJECT ON – FACEBOOK SUCCESS TIPS AND STORIES

Submitted To Prof. Yogesh Udgire

What is Social Media?Social media is the collective of online communications channels

dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. Websites and applications dedicated

to forums, microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, are among the different types of social media.

Popular Social Media Sites And Their Uses

Facebook is predominately for sharing. This can be products, articles, or services. In a nutshell, it's for sharing your content with as many people as possible.

Twitter is about sharing news on any subject. Don't let the word news make you feel it does not apply for products. New product launches, new stock ready to be sold - Twitter is good for all of this.

Google+ is in part a combination of the two and has become important for search engine optimization if nothing else

Blogging is a great way to impart news and expertise to your readership, customer and client base, or followers. It offers a good way to attract visitors on your site via search engines.

YouTube is about showcasing videos to a wide audience. It is being utilised by businesses all the time to sell products and services. As YouTube is owned by Google, videos tend to feature prominently on search engine results. You can also utilise the YouTube ads to make a secondary income stream.

Pinterest and other bookmarking sites are very good at showcasing visual products. If your business is selling something online, albeit a product or service, ensure you are posting on Pinterest and as many bookmarking sites you can find.

Social Media And Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Good positioning on search engines is about unique quality content that is well shared and well linked to from other websites.

• By sharing your content on social sites, the more chance there is of people liking it on Facebook, retweeting on Twitter, or sharing the pin on Pinterest. • Links are important for good SEO and posting your content on social sites provides a link from the social site to yours, and in every case this can be targeted to a specific product, service, or article.

• This also ensures Google indexes the web page. That is to say, it adds it to its database, ensuring it can be found on search engines.

Finding The Best Social Media Sites For Your Business

To find the best social sites suited to your business, think about what your business is trying to do???

If your business sells products or services, then use social sites that showcase pictures and videos to sell the product. YouTube, Pinterest, Delicious and Instagram are all really good for showcasing products

If you're in the selling game, make videos of your products, take good professional photos and get them on these sites, and ensure you link the pictures and videos directly to the content on your site

If you sell on eBay or an affiliate seller, try to link directly to the product page where a potential customer can buy it. Also, put the products on your Facebook page, Google+ page, and Twitter.

Simple Tricks to Make Your Site More Social Media Friendly

Social Sharing•There are dozens of sites you can visit that will provide embeddable code which can be used to create social networking icons on your site.

• These icons make it easy for visitors to share what they like about your site with their social media friends and followers.

E.g. - Share This. • Share This is a tool you can install on your site that makes it easier for visitors to share with their network.

• There are typically several icons spread out in a horizontal line or grouped together under a header of "Share." Installing this tool lets your visitors easily spread the word via social networking sites about a page or website - yours - they like.

Show off your Social Media presence

• If you're on several social networking sites, it ensures you to display that affiliation somewhere on your site.

• For the online shopper, these links show you're not just an e-commerce beginner.

• The more social media sites you're a part of, the more web-knowledgeable you look and the greater brand awareness you can build.

• You can display your social media links either in self-created sidebar module or by using tools

Facebook Fan Page or Group?

A question that often gets asked when it comes to Facebook and brands is should you build a Facebook Group Page or a Fan Page?

It is a good question and the answer depends mostly on what your plans are for your site. I've broken down the pros and cons of both a fan page versus a group page

below.

Facebook Fan Page Facebook Fan Page Pro's:

• Looks polished; closely resembles an individual profile page

• Can include videos, photos, links, events, etc.

• Can be given a customized url similar to an individual profile

• Offers options to add applications such as a Twitter feed

• Includes a "wall" similar to individual profiles that people can post comments on

* Can be paired with a Facebook Fan Page Widget on your site

Facebook Fan Page Con's:

• More difficult to manage conversations between fans

• Conversations are on display for the public to see

• Unable to convert Facebook Groups to Fan Pages if you've already got a Group page set up

• Until you have an adequate number of fans, you'll be posting a lot

Facebook Group PageFacebook Group Pro's

• Can be more intimate; people see who created the group

• Still allows for pictures, photos, videos, events, etc. to be posted

• Allows for emails to be sent to all group members

* More familiarity among early adopters of Facebook

Facebook Group Con's

• Visitors must visit your group page for updates

• Does not allow applications to be added to the group page

•Will automatically post related groups to your group page whether you want them or not

* Cannot be linked to your site via widget(s)

The Verdict? Consider a Facebook Fan Page if you want to keep your "fans" up to date on the goings on of your site. Consider a Group if you have a niche within your site that people might

want to create conversations about.

Should You Hire a Social Media Consultant for Your Site?

•With the hundreds of social sites and applications available, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

•When you're already trying to keep your business afloat, social media can seem unnecessary and time-consuming.

•Research has shown, however, that e-commerce retailers are reaping the benefits of this new media channel (i.e., offering better customer service and increased sales) so it pays to use it.

•Not everyone is social media savvy nor do they have the time which is why a lot of companies hire consultants to help them with their campaigns.

Do you need a consultant or should you do your own work?

A Social Media Strategy

Step 1: Create a Facebook Page, Twitter account and Google+ Page For Business

•These have their uses regardless of the type of business, and all help considerably with SEO.

•Ensure you create business pages on Facebook and Google+.

•This keeps your personal details and indeed social media life hidden from your customers or clients, and it offers better options to promote a business.

Step 2: Identify Social Media Sites That Are The Most Important To Your Business

•If your site sells products, make a list of all the online bookmarking and video sites you can find and create accounts. Ensure you use Pinterest and YouTube.

• If your business is for services, information, or is for an affiliate marketing revenue stream, you want to spread the word in as many ways as possible.

• Use blogging sites such as Tumblr, Blogger and WordPress.org to syndicate your blog posts and services, and try to create news content if you provide services to show your expertise in your field.

Step 3: Use Social Media Tools Such As 'If This Then That‘

•'If This Then That' Or Ifttt.Com Automatically Updates Your Social Accounts.

• This Is Easy To Establish And Works By Syndicating The Information Across A Host Of Social Sites Automatically As Soon As One Site Is Updated.

•This, As You Can Imagine, Saves A Lot Of Time.

• Automatic Syndication Has Limitations And Often Links And Pictures Do Not Appear As You Would Like Them To.

•Not All Social Media Can Be Syndicated In This Way, But The Sites That Ifttt.Com Syndicates To Are Well Worth Creating Accounts On To Promote Your Business

•. The More Social Media Sites You Post On, The Better.

Step 4: Use #hashtags

•Whenever You Post Your Content, Ensure You Use Accurate #Hashtags.

•This Will Help Users Find Your Content When They Search For It. So If I'm Selling Tyres On EBay, #Tyres, #Cartyres, #Car, #Tyres Is Good, And For Sports News, #Sportsnews, #Football #Cricket, And So On Is Good.

• Initially Hashtags Were Started By Twitter Now Followed By Facebook, Google+ And Instagram

Step 5: Participation

•Twitter and Google+ show trending topics and these are popular subjects people are discussing.

• It is worth performing the odd Twitter search to see what people are talking about in relation to your business, and making a contribution to the discussion.

•This is a good way to make connections and hopefully achieve more success.

Step 6: Monitoring Success

•Monitoring success has proven to be quite difficult for social media. Unlike SEO results, which can be measured on click-throughs and content engagement, it is not so simple on social sites for a variety of reasons.

•You may feel if you provide news that 10 comments on one story is a good sign of success, while 100 likes of a product video on YouTube with no obvious link to sales may not be immediately obvious as positive.

• It is worth remembering, however, that though people may not directly access your main site via social sites, it may prompt them to return later.

• Always keep in mind that social media is for sharing content, so any like, comment or retweet is positive.

CONCLUSION• Social media seems to be here to stay. It most certainly will evolve and change as time goes

• It can bring awareness to your product or brand and help you build a stronger relationship with your customers which can lead to greater sales and future growth for your business.

• Keep In Mind That Social Media Can Be Time Consuming And Integrating A Social Media Marketing Campaign Into Your Business Should Not Be Taken Lightly.

• Proper Planning And Implementation Is Critical To Your Success-you May Even Want To Consider Hiring An Expert To Handle It For You.

•This Will Largely Depend On Your Needs, Budget, And Time You Have To Allocate Your Own Resources To Getting The Job Done In-house.