The answer is yes. If you are consistent and put priority on one of the best ways to increase your web presence and get your name and products in front of the greatest amount of people for the lowest cost, social media is where you need to be. To be active on social media websites and promote the free Flash website you have created, all you need is a computer, internet access and an hour a day.
Social Media Numbers
Facebook is number one with over 500 million users, Twitter has almost 300 million users, LinkedIn has over 80 million professionals using the site to link with other professionals. As you can see by these numbers by actively using the big three social networks you can tap into a huge base of people. Granted you will not be able to contact all of the people on a social site, but you will be surprised what consistent posting can do to promote your Flash website and your business.
Studies have shown that the peak times for social networking are between 10am and 11am Monday through Friday. Many people start their work day by checking their mail and catching up with their contacts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you spend just one hour a day posting and checking on your friends and followers you will eventually build up a good reputation and presence.
It Takes Time and Consistency
Seeing an impact on the amount of visitors to your Flash website and getting concrete results will not happen overnight. It may take a few months, sometimes quite a few months, but if you are consistent and don’t give up, you will see that you have more visitors on your free Flash website and in your sales numbers. If you do not have the time or do not want to devote at least one hour a day to social media, it would be a wise decision to hire someone to do it for you.
What Can You Use Social Media For?
There are several things you can do with social media to promote your business and Flash website. You can post polls to see what people are thinking, take opinions, create surveys, ask open ended questions to get a discussion going and hold mini-seminars on Twitter with Tweetups. You can also post a new blog entry (every business needs a blog – you have one right?), share the links for articles your post on article directories, share interesting links or information, and update friends and followers on any specials you are running on the social media sites. Be sure not to just use social media sites as advertising campaigns. If you do people will get bored and stop reading you or drop you as a contact. Make your posts interesting and engaging.
A word about LinkedIn
It is a fairly new social media site and many people do not utilize it to its fullest potential. LinkedIn is used by professional, may of them with an MBA or higher from companies all over the world. Each one of the Fortune 500 companies is represented on this site and you should be among that number. When you create your account on LinkedIn to promote your business and website, be sure to include your past business experiences. This will connect you with more people. Based on your profile, LinkedIn will automatically suggest contacts for you. Then like other social websites you can use your contacts to find others and vice a versa. This is the best way to build your contact base on LinkedIn and other social websites.
There are other social websites you can get involved in and new ones are cropping up everyday. Another benefit of having social accounts is that Google will find the links you post and increase your site’s SEO. Set aside an hour a day, preferable in the mid-morning if you can, and work on your social networking. It will not only be fun, but you can increase your business and visitors, too.
