The word on the street!

The word on the street.

With the massive boom of social media and more ways than ever before to connect to people... how are we as business owners supposed to choose the right route?  Who should we talk to and how much time should we spend doing it?  I suppose that is the million dollar question ... I mean we are bombarded with tweets and updates (including this one) and actually how many people really do read them?  As a small business who can’t afford to employ armies of people to sift through the tons of social media updates how can we keep on top of the tidal wave of information?

Well, I think part of the answer is to be selective and only follow people whom are really going to provide you with useful and helpful information.  I have lost count of how many people tell me that they are going for a walk or just nipping for a coffee and as a result I now have a 3 strikes and you’re out policy!  I really don’t have time to read silly tweets and updates!  And in return as someone listing tweets and updates then think about what your followers will read (providing they don’t miss it in the tidal wave!)  Maybe split your time spent on social media to 3 slots in the day (morning, lunch, and late afternoon) that way you will still miss a lot but might pick up on relevant tweets which are often posted more than once.

With this boom of social media there has also been a boom with networking events. I could spend my time constantly going to events, presenting at events, holding events and so on ... but is networking useful?  Well, from my personal experience I would definitely say so ... but again a word of warning ... I only attend the networking events which benefit me and my business, the ones where I can learn something or meet potential clients.  Probably the worst kind of networking events in my opinion are the seated around tables kind ... I mean unless the organiser has really thought about the benefits of specific people sitting together then you could end up spending money to sit with people who are of no use to you ... and although there is some benefit in terms of profile raising ... the possibility of business  generation is very slim.  The other thing about networking is that the cost of the event and your time out of the office needs to be offset against business coming in ...which means it can be a costly business!

And remember the main reason you attend events and engage with social media is to win business and sell your unique products and services.  Many business owners are not natural sales people and have concerns about their own abilities in this area. However, this isn’t a good reason to ignore it!

"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so."

Mahatma Gandhi

And on a final note you might be interested in this event The Launchpad are holding which will help you to understand your market and how to market yourself effectively.

http://sellsellsell.eventbrite.com/