Using Social Media to Increase Business
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:09
By now it seems like everyone has heard about Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. But did you know these are also very powerful business networking sites?
Users of these social media websites can connect with legions of people in any industry organized by city, workplace, school and region. Users can make their own profiles which feature photos and personal background, they exchange public or private messages and they join groups that share their interests. Using the site to spread the word about businesses has paid off for many people.
“Using these sites has enabled us to speed up the communication process and connect with a wider demographic,” said Melissa Black, owner and founder of Solar Gain Inc. “We are online all day long; either working on the website or posting on Facebook and MySpace about what we are doing for our clients.”
According to a study done by the Pew Hispanic Center- internet use among Latino adults rose by 10 percentage points - from 54% to 64% - between 2006 and 2008. In comparison, the rates for whites adults rose just four percentage points, and the rates for blacks rose only two percentage points during that time period. Though Latinos continue to lag behind whites, the gap in internet use has shrunk considerably.
“The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has really promoted the use of internet resources to our business owners as great way to advertise and connect with potential clients,” said Lea Marquez-Peterson, president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “We often put on workshops and tutorials to show people how to use the internet to their advantage.
For Latinos, the increase in internet use has been fueled in large part by increases in internet use among groups that have typically had very low rates of internet use. In particular, foreign-born Latinos, Latinos with less than a high school education and Latinos with household incomes of less than $30,000 experienced particularly large increases in internet use.
“It is almost impossible to have a new business nowadays without using social media sites,” said Black. “I am still trying to learn how to use all the current technology to help my business. We are filming our latest installation project and are going to post it to YouTube, to show people how we work.”
Facebook has also been a way for businesses to connect across the border.
“It affords us the unique opportunity to connect with people from Mexico, both other businesses and clients across the border,” said Black, who is a new member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as well as Tucson Mexico Sister Cities.
Written by Samantha S. Easter You are reading Using Social Media to Increase Business articles
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