The Enterprising Moms

We’re pleased to share our first guest blog post by Enterprising Mom Eryn Gurnee Cadoff on using social media for business. If you’re going social, plan to join us on Tuesday, March 9th for our social media discussion and networking event. Get details and register today (early bird rate ends on 3/2).

As a Enterprising Mom – your time is valuable!  After all, you’ve got a busy household to run, meals to cook, kids’ schedules to coordinate, laundry to do, and oh, yeah, a business!  Whether you are a sole proprietor, run a franchise or direct selling business, or have a business with employees, entrepreneurial moms have only so many hours in a day, so you need to make the most of them.

Never fear – social media is here!  You probably have a Facebook profile and a Linkedin profile as well, and some of you may even tweet.   All three of these popular social networking sites serve a slightly different purpose, so here’s how I see them:

• Facebook
  These are the people you already know – a great way to connect and reconnect with present and past friends and acquaintances.  You can also “friend” customers and clients you meet along the way.
• Twitter
  This is for the people you have yet to meet!  It’s like a big cocktail party and it’s your job to meet people and engage in conversation with those that interest you.
• Linkedin
  This is a network comprised mainly of professionals and/or job seekers supporting one another in business.

Depending on what type of business you have and whether you are a service provider, a sales rep, etc., you may find one site more beneficial than another.  But wherever you choose to connect with your clients/customers, there are some definite DO’s and DON’Ts:

Profile Picture / Avatar

• DON’T have a picture of your dog, your child, something funny you saw that day, etc., as your profile picture.
• DO have a profile picture of you, and make it a nice one, you might even want to consider hiring another Enterprising Mom (we’ve got a couple of photographers) to take a headshot of you.  When people are doing business with you, they like to look you in the eye.  They feel a lot more connected with those people online who have faces.

Update your “status” to keep your name out there

• DO Provide good FREE valuable content that people appreciate
• DO Post helpful information and links – especially anything you might be a subject-area expert on.
• DON’T talk about your business all the time! This is a huge turn-off –  people can defriend/unfollow/hide you in one click.

Be sure you engage with people and create a dialogue, instead of only talking about yourself. Make your posts about others, and become a matchmaker of sorts – give people helpful tips and refer business to others when you can. Think of social networking as the online equivalent of going to an in-person networking event – you wouldn’t just stand in a corner and shout at everyone who walks by “I sell ABC product!”  “I’m the best at this!”  “Buy from me!”  Instead get to know people first and understand their needs! A great recipe for Social Media success – make your posts 80% about others, 20% about you.

It probably goes without saying, but….

• When in doubt about a post, ask yourself:  “would you want your mother/child/boss reading this?”
• Remember, what you put on the web is permanent!

Follow these etiquette tips, and you’ll be on your way to being a social media star!

Eryn Gurnee Cadoff
Independent Stylist for Stella & Dot
Eryn discovered the incredible power and potential of social media while hiding out in her home office from her screaming kids.  It’s probably been ~5 minutes since she commented on somebody’s status.

Connect with Eryn
Web Site |  Facebook | Twitter |  Linkedin

Interested in guest blogging for The Enterprising Moms? Please get in touch!

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