We continue with our revised course with
Internet Income 2.0, Lesson #21: Tapping the Power of Social Media.
Course author, George Little, outlines how social media empowers
independent entrepreneurs and how to best take advantage of that
empowerment.
About Internet Income: Each new lesson of SFI’s
revised, exclusive course contains updated tips, real-world advice, and
in-depth, step-by-step instructions on setting up your Internet-based
business. Author George Little uses plain English to explain the ins and
outs of starting and running a profitable online business in today’s
ever-changing global market.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
In this lesson, we will discuss how social media empowers
independent entrepreneurs and how to best take advantage of that
empowerment.
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
A small business entrepreneur can now reach out directly to his or
her fans and his or her fans can now reach back directly. To fully
understand what this means, think back to the days before Internet
promotion. If you had a small business then, you had to contact the
local newspaper, radio, and TV and you had to seek out local
organizations offering sponsorships (such as high school band boosters,
sports teams, and other local community projects). In each case, your
contact was full of suggestions for how to promote your business and how
they could do it best. You had to listen to these suggestions, work
within their framework, follow their rules, and pay their asking price.
With social media marketing, you have much more control over the
process.
Social media allows you to set your own agenda. I'm not suggesting
you ignore or eliminate these traditional means of advertising. They can
still be very helpful. But, when you do deal with traditional media and
community organizations, you can now legitimately ask them to fit their
services into your agenda for promotion rather than vice-versa. You now
have much more control. Maintaining control over your own promotions is
not only personally empowering, it allows for more effective promotion.
Your promotions can now be more integrated, more focused, more
directed, and thus more efficient.
Let's look at how social media provides you this control.