6 Ways Social Networking Can Help Flourish A Startup
Networking is a huge deal, especially for startups. These fledgling businesses are still trying to find their place in the world, and being able to network with people who matter can help them get to their feet and set out on their own ways.
In the olden days, networking was done through phone, fax, and snail mail. When you wanted to increase your circle of business acquaintances, you had to contact them through these methods or personally set-up face-to-face meetings with them and give them those little business cards of yours.
But this is the 21st century. When we say networking, what we really mean is “social networking.”
Social networking websites are now the biggest things on the Internet. These sites are deeply integrated into people’s lives and are hosts to their own vibrant online communities and culture. Startups can take advantage of them to leverage their own success in the business world. Here’s how:
Six Ways Social Networking Can Help Flourish A Startup
Social networking websites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and etc) have assisted entrepreneurs in getting their businesses’ gears going. These sites can help you-
1. Find investors.
Many people have managed to find investors for their startups on Twitter. Yup, you heard that right. Those “friends” and “followers” you have are more than pixels on the screen – they can actually help you in the financial aspect of your
2. Speed up the employee recruitment process.Aside from the main social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Google+) and the professional-oriented LinkedIn, there are also other dedicated niche social networking websites that are aimed mainly at cultivating relationships between new startups and potential investors. Two good examples are AngelList (www.angel.co) and CrunchBase (www.crunchbase.com). Sites like these provide a platform for investors and entrepreneurs to interact and communicate.
More and more employers are now shunning the traditional resumes and face-to-face recruitment process in favor of new recruiting methods through social networking. For most, LinkedIn is the number one website for recruitment (reportedly ninety percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen potential employees), followed closely by Facebook and Twitter.
Using social media websites to find future employees has a lot of advantages over traditional recruitment methods. For one, it gives a three dimensional look at a person’s interests, skills and characteristics that cannot be lifted from a plain old resume alone. Social media savvy can be gauged through a potential employee’s Facebook or Twitter profile, creativity from his or her Pinterest boards and Instagram photos, as well as writing skills from a blog.
3. Connect with clients and customers.
Clients and customers form the foundation for any business. With social networks, the possibilities for interaction and engagement are endless. Startups use social media websites to keep in touch with clients, answer queries, and post announcements. Some even use their social networking profiles as a customer service hub of sorts, where people can post their questions and have them answered in an instant (Twitter is usually used for this purpose). Having an online presence on social networking websites has become so ingrained in people’s lives that it is almost a necessity for businesses, especially startups.
4. Advertise for free.
On most social networking websites, there is zero cost in setting up an account. It’s easy to get started and the payoff can be huge once you get the hang of it. Compared to traditional methods of advertising, this form of marketing and promotion is more efficient and long-lasting. A television ad can be watched only at the time it airs, while a YouTube video or a Facebook post can stay on the Internet virtually forever.
There are lots of companies and businesses that used social networking websites for advertising purposes. This is a booming industry and it’s best not to be left behind. What’s more, the effects of a marketing campaign run on social networks can be easily measured through web analytics apps and software – a lot of which are also free.
5. Receive feedback instantly.
This means no more suggestion boxes! Clients and customers can express their opinions and suggestions with social media. It’s as easy as sending out a tweet or voting for something on Facebook. Startups can propose ideas to their followers and ask about their sentiments on things that are related to the business. In this manner, startups will learn exactly what their clients really want.
6. Create a unique identity.
Social networks have their own culture. Who you are on Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook would most likely influence what people would think about you. This is the reason why the most bland of companies (such as GE electronics) can amass a huge following on social networking sites. They created a new identity for themselves online that showed who they are as a company. Startups can definitely learn from their example and form online identities of their own that people can relate with.
*Already using Twitter and Facebook for your business? Learn how to further generate leads with Google+ !
About Daniel Tan
