Tips for Promoting Your Children’s Business with Social Networking
One of the best ways to spread the word about a business is through social networking. There are a few reasons why this is true. Although the cost is much cheaper when using social networking sites as opposed to traditional online advertising plans, there may be an even better reason, especially for a business focused on products for children.
The trust that is created when a product or service becomes part of the popular grapevine is suited well for a successful children’s business. This is perhaps more important than in other levels of business, because of the trust factor that is more prevalent in products that are touted via “word of mouth”. Parents and guardians are likely to be more interested in a product for their child if they first hear about it not through some TV or print advertising, or even by a keyword search online that lands them on a website, but rather from testimonials of other parents or guardians who actually have some personal experience with the product or service.
This is why social network sites are maybe the best kind of online marketing outlet for a children’s business. This will bring credibility to a business when actual customers give it a good rating, as well as an acceptability that is hard to capture when “cold-calling” through various link plans and SEO tactics. The hard selling is already out of the way - the foot is in the door. Once a product or a business gets tagged on a social networking site, it will spread rapidly.
This can be accomplished one way by finding those social networking sites that will allow a member to establish a group based on a particular type of product or service, not necessarily based on a particular company. Related topics can be discussed in these forums, and this is where specific products or sites can be mentioned in passing as a suggestion to check out a company’s line. Once people are aware of the quality of the products or services offered, they will do the advertising by spreading the word, either in the same group or even on other social networking sites.
In fact, just about any type of social networking site will be a good choice. These sites are all about personal relationships and recommendations. It’s just a matter of getting the word out, which can happen once just a few new friends become familiar with the company being promoted. The popular sites of this kind today - such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. - would work very well, and there are other such sites that have come into the public forum recently that could serve the same purpose.
One piece of common sense advice to give, however, is that anyone who would like to use this approach to promote their children’s business should be prepared to spend a good deal of time, especially in the beginning. Just like any real relationship, the trust needs to develop naturally, which doesn’t happen overnight. As long as the commitment is there to develop several relationships on several social networking websites, the eventual success will be well worth the effort.
The trust that is created when a product or service becomes part of the popular grapevine is suited well for a successful children’s business. This is perhaps more important than in other levels of business, because of the trust factor that is more prevalent in products that are touted via “word of mouth”. Parents and guardians are likely to be more interested in a product for their child if they first hear about it not through some TV or print advertising, or even by a keyword search online that lands them on a website, but rather from testimonials of other parents or guardians who actually have some personal experience with the product or service.
This is why social network sites are maybe the best kind of online marketing outlet for a children’s business. This will bring credibility to a business when actual customers give it a good rating, as well as an acceptability that is hard to capture when “cold-calling” through various link plans and SEO tactics. The hard selling is already out of the way - the foot is in the door. Once a product or a business gets tagged on a social networking site, it will spread rapidly.
This can be accomplished one way by finding those social networking sites that will allow a member to establish a group based on a particular type of product or service, not necessarily based on a particular company. Related topics can be discussed in these forums, and this is where specific products or sites can be mentioned in passing as a suggestion to check out a company’s line. Once people are aware of the quality of the products or services offered, they will do the advertising by spreading the word, either in the same group or even on other social networking sites.
In fact, just about any type of social networking site will be a good choice. These sites are all about personal relationships and recommendations. It’s just a matter of getting the word out, which can happen once just a few new friends become familiar with the company being promoted. The popular sites of this kind today - such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. - would work very well, and there are other such sites that have come into the public forum recently that could serve the same purpose.
One piece of common sense advice to give, however, is that anyone who would like to use this approach to promote their children’s business should be prepared to spend a good deal of time, especially in the beginning. Just like any real relationship, the trust needs to develop naturally, which doesn’t happen overnight. As long as the commitment is there to develop several relationships on several social networking websites, the eventual success will be well worth the effort.
