In the first part of this article I gave the first 2 tips on on how to use social networking to market your web design or web development business. The first tip was to Be an Expert, NOT and advertiser! We are constantly exposed to 100’s of advertisements each day. The overall effect is that we have been programmed to ignore 90% of it. That is why advertisers are always trying to find someway to catch your attention and stand out from the crowd. Often this is in the form of sex, violence, and humor. But instead of advertising at all, share meaningful, relevant and informative information related to your target market. Become an expert in their eyes, so when they need web work, you are the first thing that comes to their mind.
The second tip was to Be Consistent, marketing isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. Apple doesn’t put out a commercial for the iPad hoping that you will see it once and then assume that you are ready to buy. No they want you to see the ads a hundred times if possible. The constant exposure is what slowly works into your subconscious and helps you decide that you really do need to have an iPad.
Now let’s dive into the final four social network marketing tips for web designers and developers.
3. Be Relevant
Many have tried social marketing only to have it fail because they have been told how important it is to personalize it. This is true and false. You don’t want your tweets or Facebook posts to sound like some machine is pumping them out, but no one wants to hear about the cute thing your dog just did or where you are eating dinner or what TV show you are watching.
Yes you want to make things personal, but keep it ‘business personal’. Focus on what is important in building a trusting relationship with your potential clients. Stay on the topic of the importance of websites for small businesses, new Internet technologies that your clients may be interested in, and possibly projects you are working on (while maintaining the privacy of your clients when needed). Always keep your end goal in mind.
4. Be Integrated
Your marketing should be structured like a spider web. Every aspect should connect to the others. This isn’t just true of your social marketing, but all apects of customer interaction. If you are using both Twitter and Facebook, make sure you point them to each other. Any print ads you run should include links to your website and social network pages and ID’s. Your business card should have your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile should point to your Facebook page, you should Tweet about a post you just added to your wall on Facebook. Facebook should include video’s from your YouTube channel and EVERYTHING should point to your website.
You want your customers to see your engaging content wherever they go. Each point of contact will entangle them more and more in your web.
5. Be unique
There is no point in following you on both Twitter and Facebook if you just repeat the same things in both places. Each channel needs to provide unique content and give your potential web design clients fresh reasons to follow you. Not only will unique content keep them engaged, but redundant content will annoy them. The last thing you want entering your audiences mind is even the smallest incling in the back of your mind that you are spam. Of course spam has come to mean any unwanted intrusion into our space. We deal with Spam by deleting, hiding or un-following the culprit. This leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of who you hoped to pick up as a client. You have lost them before you even had them.
6. Be Confident
Don’t doubt yourself. Chances are what you know seems obvious to you, so why would anyone else want to hear about it, but that is because you already know it. What seems apparent to you may be unknown or confusing to someone without your skills, experiences and technical knowledge. What used to stretch your mind has, through practice and experience, become your baseline of knowledge.
Don’t discount the value of your baseline of knowledge to benefit others. Most small business owners are too busy running their business to learn very much about web sites and online marketing. What you have to offer is of great value to them. Sharing this knowledge through your social networks and blog will guarantee that potential clients not only come to you for their online business needs, but they will come to you with a respect for your opinion.
Conclusion
I promise this can pay off in big ways, but I also know that it is a LOT of work and you are probably wondering how you can possibly have the time to do all this while still maintaining your web development business. At this point most web designers don’t know where to start because the mountain looks too large to climb so they put it off and never get started at all. This is where I can help! You can get started right now by downloading my free Social Network Marketing Guide for Web Developers and Designers. This guide gives you step by step instructions on how to setup your account, what to say, how to get massive amounts of followers and most importantly how you can automate the entire process.
So take action and get started now by entering your name and email address in the form at the top right of this page. The sooner you do this, the sooner you will start pulling in new customers and getting more business. You will also get a free copy of the Web Design Quality Control Made Easy guide to help you test your websites.
<< Back to Part 1 of Social Network Marketing for Web Designers & Developers
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