Bringing The Social Media World and Real Life World Together
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Tue, Aug 02, 2011
47% of small business owners do not use social media for their business at all, according to a survey commissioned by Hiscox Insurance. In a survey of 304 small businesses, only 4% said they make use of twitter. But ignoring these mediums means ignoring something inherent in the world of small business that many firms rely on to survive: word of mouth. That’s because social media is an extension of word of mouth purely by its nature of sharing and being social.
Word of mouth IS social media
It’s ironic, considering that 50% of those surveyed said that word of mouth was the one kind of marketing they couldn’t live without, compared to 12% who said they couldn’t do without social media. These two are now the same thing, you see. The two overlap each other in obvious ways.
Social media is now where people talk, and exchange ideas and tips. And in fact it could be more effective than traditional word of mouth on the street. The nature of twitter and Facebook means it’s possible to broadcast opinions and questions – so if you’re on twitter and looking for a recommended plumber, you are likely to receive many more good recommendations from it’s millions of users than if you stood in the street yelling for help. In the same way, twitter and Facebook give happy customers an opportunity to endorse a business or product.
Ever looked up the Facebook page or twitter of a great restaurant?
Ask around your friends, and you’ll probably find more than a few people that have given the local Italian a mention on Twitter after a great meal, or have written on the local building company’s wall to say thanks for a great job done.
Do the above examples sound like word of mouth to you? They do to us! To increase your word of mouth marketing so that everyone hears what happy customers have to say about you, look to social media to amplify their voices.
Contact SiliconCloud today to learn more about what social media marketing can do for your business.
Learn how to harness the power of the social mediasphere - facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and many others - to get found by more potential customers, develop meaningful relationships with others in your industry, and position yourself as an expert in your field. Watch our webinar on Social Media