Search, Social and Lead Marketing for Business Blog

The short answer is: Yes it can be, if you do it correctly. 

In March the Wall Street Journal sited statistics that points to a mixed result. According to the survey referred in the article, it showed 22% of 500 U.S. small companies made a profit last year from promoting their firms on social media, while 53% said they broke even. Another19% said they actually lost money. The survey was done by the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business and Network Solutions LLC. Many small businesses selling products or services to consumers have adopted social media as one of their marketing tools because it is low cost and easy-to-use. A separate survey done by the same sponsor found that the number of small businesses (with less than 100 employees) using social-media as part of their on-line marketing strategy had doubled last year from 12% to 24%.

The key to positive results is regular interaction with consumers through such sites as Facebook and Twitter. It is a time investment as you build relationships, creditability, and exposure with the consumers before they become customers. In the same Wall Street Journal article on Mar 16, 2010, Stephen Bailey, who oversees internet marketing initiatives for John Fluevog Boots & Shoes Ltd, a footwear and accessories retailer in Vancouver, shared that his company saw a 40% increase in online sales in 2009 due to social-media marketing efforts.

The good news for small and mid size business is that most social media tools are free. With some creativity and passion about your product and service, you can make it a great marketing tool for your company.

Many business owner or marketers consider Facebook a personal social media tool to help them stay connected with their friends and families, and not sure why should they consider leverage Facebook for their companies.

You know how powerful search marketing Ads are. They make you get in front of your customers when they raise their hands are asking for more information about your products or services. Many of them are doing comparisons on prices, features and maybe even customer services. If you want to influence buyers decision earlier to a much larger target audience, then you should consider Facebook and other social media plate form.

With over 200 million active users sharing authentic information, you can precisely reach the right people before they start searching. Most social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin) provide you tools so that you can determine how exactly you can define your targeted audience, and get in font of them.

To address your concerns of mixing your personal connections with business, Facebook has privacy settings so that the story from last night's party won't get out to your business connections.