There are a lot of things social networking sites are great for, like sharing news, advertising online coupons, and reaching out to new potential customers. When small businesses first get involved with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and social media in general,  however, they often don’t use them to their marketing potential.

In order to get more out of social media sites, you can’t do all the work yourself. Here are a few ways you can make your profile stronger by getting your customers in on the act:

Ask customers to submit product photos and stories. If you sell something that people interact with regularly, or depend on as part of their day-to-day jobs, then they might be able to say far more about your products than any marketing copy ever could. The more other buyers can see customers using your merchandise, the stronger impression it’s going to make in their minds.

Hold contests to find the next marketing tagline or offer. This is a great way to get customers involved for two reasons: one, you give them the chance to tell you what they’d really like to see you offer in terms of products and pricing; and two, because you subtly alert them that a big sale or event is around the corner. Why not offer a coupon or gift certificate to the customer who can help you come up with the next great social marketing idea?

Get feedback and testimonials from buyers. Obviously, few things help you sell online like positive reviews and feedback. But even if all the news isn’t good, you still win. That’s because you don’t just find areas where you could improve your company and service, but you also show potential buyers that you’re willing to listen and that their concerns are important to you.

Give discounts for passing your name along. In the same way, giving premiums, gifts, or bonuses for referrals isn’t exactly a new concept. But by making these offers on social media sites, you’re making it a lot easier and more convenient for your customers to take advantage. Give them an incentive to tell other people about the great things you do, and you might persuade them to go out and do it.

Need an online marketing team that knows social networking sites inside and out? Try one of Calgary’s best by contacting eKzact today!

As a website developer, I have learned to “raise red flags” when a prospective client says certain things. for the purposes of this article, I have named these prospects, “The Expert Prospective Client”.

The expert – Knows how long a task will take before they ask.

They often say things like, “That’s just a simple task, isn’t it? I don’t think it will take long for you to do.”

The expert – Knows the value of our service, without asking for a quote.

They often say things like, “I just need this one thing done, it should be quite inexpensive…”

The expert – Has changed service providers recently.

They often have just left a previous service provider on questionable grounds. In some cases, they did not pay their final bill. They will say things like, “My last guy/gal used to nickle & dime me to death. Every time I turned around, they send me an invoice for something…”

The expert – Hires professionals, but openly admits that they could do it themselves.

They may say something like, “I could have done this myself, but my time is too valuable.”

The expert – Often offers to send you lots of new clients, provided you give them a good deal & do a great job for them.

They say things like, “I know a lot of people, if you do a good job for me I’ll refer you lots of business in the future.” These offers sometimes come as veiled threats if a project goes a bit sideways. The expert will say, “I wish we didn’t have to deal with this, I don’t know if I can refer my friends to you if this is how it is going to be…” It has been my experience that the people who use “referrals” as leverage, are the same people who never refer new clients.

My experience has shown that it is difficult to build a client/service provider relationship with the expert prospect.

Do you run across the expert potential client in your business? Have I missed any common traits in my list above?

David A. West