A Social Media Intervention
Friday, April 13, 2012 at 1:21PM As a massage therapist it may seem a little strange that I should be so keen to be part of the online social media scene. However, as a sole trader, running her own business it makes perfect sense.
I often get approached by other health practitioners asking for help with their social media marketing as more and more individuals realise the importance of using applications, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and how it can positively affect their business. But where something can have a positive effect on your business it’s important that it can easily have the opposite effect so it’s crucial to learn the correct ways in using these marketing tools.
After over five years of trial and error with these things, as well as a heavy dose of common sense, these social media sites are really coming into their own for my business, and I wouldn’t be without them. To remove my online presence would be a catastrophic mistake as it is would be to refuse getting involved with social media at all!
There is so much competition out there one cannot afford not to ‘tweet’, create a Facebook page or have a profile on LinkedIn (I mention these three as they are the major players of the social media world and are the very minimum you can get away with!). So popular are these sites that it has now become clear that simply having a website has become secondary when attracting new clients to your business!
I could go on and on about how to use social media for business, rather than personal use, but I want to keep this short, sharp and to the point. So I’m also writing a book on all the ins and outs of setting up your business and social media marketing for the health practitioner (although really, for the most part all the principles can be applied to any small business start up!)
A word of caution though...like with any marketing tool it needs time, effort and consistency. Don’t expect to sign up to a twitter account today and be inundated with new clients tomorrow. It’s a social media site after all! Build relationships, establish your business (and personality) and therefore your USP*. It took me about a year of tweeting etc before I really started to see an influx of new clients contacting me through my social media accounts rather than finding my website first. However, there has definitely been a snowball effect and the last year has seen a dramatic increase in business for me all thanks to getting online and being online everyday!
So, on that note:
*Unique Selling Point
Reader Comments (1)
Totally agree Steph and I love it for the social interaction and connection with other fabulous therapists. I have made some amazing friends and business associates through Twitter in particular.
Working from home can be a lonely business and meeting up with other business owners can truly be a godsend.
One other thing - the only committment you need is your TIME, no financials are needed here. Which in the early stages of running a business is vitally important.
I'll never forget all your friendly advice when I started out full-time on my own!