First Word

As an ardent social media user, I have learned trial by fire how to maximize its use to attract business. I have roughly 3,500 connections on Facebook, about 500 and 500 respectively on Linked-In and Twitter. I've not built up Linked-In and Twitter to the same degree as Facebook for my personal-use reasons. I do get weekly queries and questions about my company 3L Publishing via social media and specifically Facebook. Since I am now an expert by learning hands-on, I want to impart some advice for other prospective social media users who desire to build up business vs. socialize. How did I get 3,500 connections on Facebook . Am I famous? No. Did I create a sort of fame? Yes. Here is how I got that many connections over a three-year period. Public Relations -- in the beginning I did a lot of promotion for my company 3L Publishing . I still try to do a lot of promotion, but these days my time is more crunched in project work. One key exposure, though, will roll in interest and c...

In the public relations and marketing business, your number one goal is to increase visibility and exposure. Why you ask? Because the more visibility and exposure your company has, the more people know about your company and the more likely it is your business will increase. It's pretty simple math really but some small businesses, in particular, whose owners might have little experience with public relations and marketing don't understand the value. They don't understand that the wider they cast the net, the more likely they are to increase their business. Small businesses are often the ones that struggle with gaining enough exposure to grow. The reason is they are small and don't use key techniques to spread the word they exist. If you are a small business, here are some important things you can do to increase your visibility and hence your exposure. 1. Always network and make your company known . Networking in the post recession world is probably the most important...