Develop an appropriate presence on the major social media sites and get the most out of your connections.

Social media is growing so fast because it addresses needs people have in real life. Businesses that meet the same requirements can also grow. By leveraging the communication and connection abilities of prospects and customers, your business can grow — but you have to do it right.

Social media has its own “Big Four.” If you have a successful presence here, you should do well. If you fail to make a connection on at least one of these sites, you will miss out on new opportunities.

Here are the key players in social media and some specifics you can use to squeeze the maximum from them for bottom-line business profit.

Facebook

This is a network you need to not only be involved with but also know well. Here are some important pointers for businesses:

1. Get a Fan Page. This will give you the ability to connect with an interested community who wants to know about you.
2. Keep it updated. No more “once a month” entries, please! You need to keep it fresh with relevant, compelling content in your area of growth. For instance, a dentist could use Facebook to talk about new research and important dental care ideas. A hardware store could provide helpful tips for remodeling.
3. Treat your Facebook page like a mini-website — because it is. You can and should place relevant pictures, stories, videos and audio here. Add links to other good content on your page.

LinkedIn

Think of LinkedIn as a prestigious country club that you finally were able to join.

1. Treat it respectfully. This is where you want to help people with serious business concerns. Finding an expert is helpful. Help others with job searches (both candidates and employers).
2. Don’t spam. Don’t use it as a platform to hawk your stuff. Remember it is like the prestigious country club where you connect with others first on a personal basis. Business flows from that.
3. Keep up to date with what others are doing. A quick note such as “Congratulations on the new position” is appropriate. Use LinkedIn as a tool to stay in touch with others in a favorable way.

Twitter

This is the tool to send out short (140 character max — 120 character preferred) messages. You can use it in a variety of ways.

1. Monitor what is popular. Watch the trends to see what others are tweeting about. Don’t just blabber about your new products. Get to know what others like and need.
2. Search. This is a WOW! You can find trends by searching key phrases. You can use the search phrase “looking for a ___” to find people looking for someone with your expertise.
3. Get advice. A tweet that says, “Does anyone have experience with the Oogaboger 342Q unit?” can help you find out about what others think before you make a purchase.
4. Use HootSuite to monitor Twitter, as well as Facebook and LinkedIn postings. It is a great time-saver and resource finder.

YouTube

Not everyone thinks of YouTube as part of social media, but it is going strong. This is a way for you to communicate your message quickly, easily and inexpensively (not a bad combination). Specifically, remember to:

1. Get your channel. This is where prospects can learn about what you do and follow it.
2. Watch what the competition is doing — literally. Do a search on your competition. Learn and grow from what you find. Remember, there are no secrets on the Internet.
3. Link prospects to secret postings. With YouTube, you can restrict the number of people who can see a video. Make it a private showing and only a few people can see it. This is a very nice feature for promotion and connection!

There are a lot more tips you can use, but these can help get you started and even tweak what you may already be doing. The big four of social media can help you generate serious business. Use them wisely.