It’s taken awhile, but Connecticut companies are starting to tap into social media websites to connect directly with customers — and their wallets — while leveraging online networking tools to market events, fill jobs and generate sales.
“Businesses are starting to really understand the benefits of social media and how to use it as a sales tool,” said Jeffrey Cohen, vice president of ImageWorks LLC, a web design, hosting and e-commerce firm in Vernon. “It’s a great way to connect with customers, market products and promote specials.”
Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, YouTube videos and LinkedIn networks allow customers, clients and even job candidates to start an online conversation with companies, explains Cohen, who will talk about using social media to generate prospects and increase sales at the Social Media Summit this month. His firm works with businesses to leverage social networks and websites to build brands and increase sales.
“Step one is to figuring out your business model and knowing how your social media presence fits in all that,” said Cohen. “The communication has to have a purpose, whether it’s to add clients, create more awareness about the business, build a strong brand or hire new people.”
One of Cohen’s clients, a large tech firm in Stamford, has discovered social media is a powerful way to connect with clients and recruit talent.
The company started using Twitter in 2010 to fill job openings and has had huge success from the get-go. Within the last 12 months, the growing firm — confidentiality rules prohibit Cohen from name-dropping — has “hired dozens of people” by posting its job openings on Twitter.
One of the best-kept secrets about Twitter is the wide net it casts that can snare job candidates locally and nationally who are already familiar with the company and the industry it serves, said Cohen.
The social networking site, which limits content to 140 characters per post, also saves the company money when it comes to recruiting expenses because there is no charge to post information on Twitter.
However, Cohen says, business leaders need to be cautious about how much they tweet.
“If your goal is to gain as many followers as you can in a specific amount of time, then go ahead and post multiple times a day,” Cohen said. “The focus should be on disseminating information you want to be known for and then figuring out the best strategy to achieve that.”
Cohen advises company leaders to avoid talking too much about themselves or their business on social networking sites.
“Business leaders have to be able to engage their customers in thoughtful discussion,” said Cohen.
“There has to be two-way conversation that benefits people,” said Cohen. “You can tweet industry trends or Facebook a link to a cool article that helps customers understand a challenge.”
Online networking sites are big business as companies figure out how to leverage social media to reach customers and prospects.
Four out of five Internet users visit social networks and blogs, according to an American Express business report published last month.
Another study, published by tech research firm Gartner Inc., said there are about 600 million people worldwide on social networks and that number will grow to more than 1 billion users by the end of 2012.
“Successful online businesses or destinations have blogs,” the report said. “They are great for communication, evergreen content and even search engine optimization. People haven’t stopped reading blogs like some might like you to believe.”
“If you’re not building up profiles on social networks for your small business, you’re already behind,” the report said.
Cohen encourages all of his clients to plug in socially or risk taking a hit on the bottom line.
Cohen has seen an uptick in business among the restaurant operators he works with who use social media to keep customers updated. Many restaurants use Facebook and Twitter to post food and drink specials, holiday hours, new menu items and links to community events and activities, he said.
And while it’s not his cup of tea, Cohen encourages dining clients to jump on board with Foursquare, a social networking site that allows customers to check in, find friends and unlock badges.
“I don’t personally care about everyone knowing where I am all the time,” said Cohen. “But there are people who like it and I think it helps build brand awareness and customer loyalty.”
Social media can also help industry experts grow their business, said Cohen.
He is working with a financial client who makes money by selling investment tips and information on YouTube. Cohen said the expert has increased sales and grown his business by at least 15 percent over the last year.
Cohen believes that while social media has its advantages, there is no substitute for a hearty handshake and a friendly smile.
