Social Media platforms have a lot of business opportunities. Most of them are embedded in our hobbies. Take for instance someone who loves photography and they always take photos and share them on Social Media platforms. Some photos may end up being used on promotions and can earn the armature photographer extra income. There are some who attend various functions and after sharing interesting moments they captured during the event, end up receiving offers to use their work on formal advertisements. The joy with Social Media is that there are Tools and Applications for almost anything. Some of the armature work can be edited to look really professional. For videos, one can get free background music or other video streams to add on one's recording. A hobby in writing(blogging) can also be polished through a number of free Applications and Tools. Some people are naturally gifted at engaging debates on various topics. These debates can be sponsored with promoters of products related to the topic under discussion offering prices. Big projects shared through Social Media, which were success stories, began as pass time activities.
Social Media has also saved entrepreneurs the inhibiting cost of R&D especially in market survey. In Social Media, there is instant communication and observation of customer needs. For instance, the Selfie Stick. Its invention did not require a market survey since it was a fact that most if not all travelers shoot selfies and at times end up risking requesting strangers to do this for them. With the stick, one is able to do it all by themselves. I recently read about friends who have designed another version of a selfie stick but this one is for recording motion pictures. There is a ready market for this product both in the formal and informal sectors of Social Media activities.
Most Social Media commentators, warn us of the hazard of reducing our productivity by spending too much time on Social Media platforms. The best form of business one can ever run is where they enjoy what they are doing. Turning a hobby into a business, will assure one of success, because a critical ingredient for any project; being motivated - is assured. However other project management components remain cardinal, as motivation alone, cannot assure success. Social Media is about engagement, if you enjoy photography, Videography, writing (blogging) - there are business opportunities for you in the Social Media corridors. It is estimated that individuals have about 200-300 friends per Social Media platform. Each one of these friends have almost the same number of followers. Imagine you post an interesting story and just about 10% of your friends share it with their friends who in turn share it with their own friends. The potential total reach is enormous. That is the potential each individual has to send a message; recommend a product; or run a campaign. Remember to share a post will not need more than 30 minutes of your time including editing, despite the media of your choice. Applications and Tools will help speed up the process.
Each one of us is a potential marketer and most of the informal communication we share on a daily basis, can be turned into business opportunities that could earn us extra income whilst our other professional lives proceed undisturbed. Our activities on Social Media, can be co-opted into marketing strategies of whatever projects that we are running. Are you running any formal activity on Social Media that began as a hobby? Share with us your experiences and observations through your valued comments. Dont forget to also share this post so that we can empower others. For your training and strategy implementation on Social Media, contact us on alson@alefinnovations.com
Showing posts with label Small Enterprises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small Enterprises. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 April 2015
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Social Media and Small Enterprise Opportunities
Social Media and Small Enterprise Opportunities
The average member of any social media platform, engages to have a good time through sharing memorable lighter moments in life. Others also engage in discussion of various topics and yet some use these platforms to gossip. Various interests groups have different forms of engagements within these platforms. Some companies have turned to Social Media to pursue aggressive digital and electronic online marketing. Civic and Non Profit Organisations have also taken to Social Media to campaign for their programs and or specific projects.
What makes Social Media appeal to almost all spheres of life is engagement. Most marketing campaigns suffer the challenge of arm twisting if not forcing potential clients, and most of their promises are not real. Because the very nurture of Social Media is to get participants to share precious moments and ideas, advertisements and marketing campaigns on these platforms, have the same flair. All promotions are based on active participation with the targeted audience. Potential clients are encouraged to re-tweet, to like to comment or even make an addition on a campaign. The promoter also has to respond to all comments, leaving the potential client with the feeling that their views are valued. This naturally builds loyalty which could be turned into potential business or repeat sales.
A small scale entrepreneur can penetrate an existing market or introduce a new product without a lot of investment in marketing campaigns. Building relationships does all the advertising. There is no better way to win someone's trust than to engage them in a conversation. Social Media offers a platform to engage with potential clients. Most conventional advertisements are based on artificial scenarios and promises that are seldom realized. A campaign on Social Media addresses the exact challenges of the potential client and the promises can be measured against an identified need. The potential client is able to engage with the supplier and discuss not only the details of the product or service but any other possible interventions in solving the situation.
Social Media provides more opportunities to small scale enterprises as they are able to engage with potential clients. There are automated systems that can be used to respond to client queries and inquiries, but its easy to distinguish responses that are not personal. Once the potential client feels that there are not being given individual attention, they may loose trust in the potential supplier. Social Media is available to everyone who owns a smart phone and most teen to adults own these gadgets. A entrepreneur with the zeal to appeal to any targeted market or grow their market share, can successfully do so, at the fraction cost of conventional advertising, through Social Media.
The average member of any social media platform, engages to have a good time through sharing memorable lighter moments in life. Others also engage in discussion of various topics and yet some use these platforms to gossip. Various interests groups have different forms of engagements within these platforms. Some companies have turned to Social Media to pursue aggressive digital and electronic online marketing. Civic and Non Profit Organisations have also taken to Social Media to campaign for their programs and or specific projects.
What makes Social Media appeal to almost all spheres of life is engagement. Most marketing campaigns suffer the challenge of arm twisting if not forcing potential clients, and most of their promises are not real. Because the very nurture of Social Media is to get participants to share precious moments and ideas, advertisements and marketing campaigns on these platforms, have the same flair. All promotions are based on active participation with the targeted audience. Potential clients are encouraged to re-tweet, to like to comment or even make an addition on a campaign. The promoter also has to respond to all comments, leaving the potential client with the feeling that their views are valued. This naturally builds loyalty which could be turned into potential business or repeat sales.
A small scale entrepreneur can penetrate an existing market or introduce a new product without a lot of investment in marketing campaigns. Building relationships does all the advertising. There is no better way to win someone's trust than to engage them in a conversation. Social Media offers a platform to engage with potential clients. Most conventional advertisements are based on artificial scenarios and promises that are seldom realized. A campaign on Social Media addresses the exact challenges of the potential client and the promises can be measured against an identified need. The potential client is able to engage with the supplier and discuss not only the details of the product or service but any other possible interventions in solving the situation.
Social Media provides more opportunities to small scale enterprises as they are able to engage with potential clients. There are automated systems that can be used to respond to client queries and inquiries, but its easy to distinguish responses that are not personal. Once the potential client feels that there are not being given individual attention, they may loose trust in the potential supplier. Social Media is available to everyone who owns a smart phone and most teen to adults own these gadgets. A entrepreneur with the zeal to appeal to any targeted market or grow their market share, can successfully do so, at the fraction cost of conventional advertising, through Social Media.
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