LeadershipHQ Magazine June 2015 2nd Edition | Page 32
2. Yelp: If you have an up and
coming local business – especially
a restaurant – start here. Yelp has
taken over Zaggats as the realtime authority on local business.
I was speaking with my barber
about encouraging his patrons to
write reviews. Not every review is
treated equally, but if your business
gets enough positive reviews,
you’re going to come out on top. It
certainly doesn’t hurt to advertise
with Yelp either. Think of Yelp as the
new phone book for your business.
It’s how people find you and, more
importantly, determine if you’re the
kind of business people want to do
business with.
3. LinkedIn: If your business is not
“customer facing” (meaning you’re a
B2B company), then LinkedIn is for
you. LinkedIn is about networking
with other people you want to be
working with. Beyond having a
company page, you need to have a
full profile to be taken seriously. You
need to spend about 2-3 hours filling
in all the gaps to ensure you have a
robust profile that explains in no
uncertain terms how you add value
to your clients and why someone
should consider working with
you. Once you’ve done this, search
around for companies and people
you’d like to be doing business with.
Introduce yourself. Don’t be a used
car salesman with high pressure
tactics. Instead, find common
interests and see how you can help
the people you’re interested in doing
business with.
4. Twitter: My personal favorite.
Twitter is a phenomenal research
tool. It is great for both B2C and
B2B companies. If you’re confused
by Twitter, read this article on
how Marji J. Sherman grew her
followers to over 100,000 in less
than a year! I took her advice. When I
wrote that article, I had 150 followers.
Now I have about 7,000 – in less than
6 months. But that’s not as important
as the incredible business people
you meet on Twitter. You’re reading
this article because someone
reached out to me and asked if I
would be interested in contributing.
Twitter is about finding and
capitalizing on the overwhelming
abundance of opportunities in the
world. By limiting conversations to
140 characters, you find that you can
connect with more people each day
by keeping your conversations short
and to the point. It’s fantastic.
5. Instagram: If you love photography
– either taking pictures or viewing
them, then this is your social network.
The reason Facebook bought
Instagram for a billion (US) dollars
is because it’s completely mobile
based and was capturing the hearts
and minds of the twenty-something
audience which Facebook really
needed in order to continue its growth
path. That saying, “a picture is worth a
thousand words” is where Instagram
focused and became so popular. You
don’t need to write everything down
if you have a great shot that captures
the essence of what you and your
team are all about. Again, this can’t just
be about your company, but rather
what you’re company is doing for the
people it serves and all the ways in
which you’re giving back.
6. YouTube: Did you know that
after Google, YouTube is the second
largest search engine? Or that
more than 100 hours of video is
uploaded every minute? If you have
a complicated story, a video is a
great way to simplify the complex.
“How to …” videos on YouTube also
help increase your SEO rankings on
Google. That’s because most people
would rather watch a (short) video
than read an article. Videos also have
the added benefit of humanising
your business. As you speak to your
audience through your camera,
you are sharing your personality
with your customers and potential
customers. Before anyone buys from
you, they need to “Know, Like &
Trust” you.
And these are just a few of the more
popular of the many social media
platforms at your fingertips. The ROI
of social media for your business is
that you’re still in business 5 years
from now. If you choose not to
engage, collaborate and build your
customers through social media,
you’re going to find it increasingly
difficult to not only thrive, but even
survive in today’s hyper digital
economy. This is not a scare tactic,
but an acknowledgement of how
most business is done today. Even
if people transact with you in a
physical store, they are using these
networks (and others) to research
your business before they ever
meet you. Who you are online helps
shape the opinions of your potential
customers well before they ever
connect with your business.
Bill Carmody is the CEO of Trepoint, one of the fastest
growing private companies in the US according to Inc
Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @BillCarmod, read more
on Inc.com or reach out via [email protected].
32 | © LeadershipHQ 2015