Get More Social in Meeting Your Needs

From the standpoint of many consumers, the web is a vital resource when looking for products and services.

With that being the case, consumers should never hesitate in using the social media component of the Internet to find what they need.

As more and more businesses are learning on a yearly basis, having a presence on social media is really not a choice, it is all but a necessity in today’s world.

Social Media is a Garden of Information

When it comes right down to it, turning to social media to find the products and services you need simply make sense.

So, what are some social avenues you as a consumer should be exploring?

They include:

• Company sites themselves – Any company worth its weight in gold will be active on several social platforms. The best way to find where they’re at is by going to their webpages, searching for the different social icons used to demonstrate a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. Whether you go to a company or organization’s site to find information on real estate, insurance, tips for home improvements, doing a California license plate lookup, healthcare, travel tips and a host of other options, always look to see what social sites they are active on. If they’re rather lax when it comes to social media initiatives, you might wonder how up to speed they are with being a forward-looking company in 2016 and beyond;
• Facebook – The top-ranked site in the social networking world, Facebook is a walking encyclopedia of social media information. You can go to a brand’s Facebook page (they’d be missing out on a free mode of marketing and advertising if they did not have one) and find information about their products or services. You also might come across company contests, contests whereby you can win prizes, discounts on merchandise and much more. Even better, you can oftentimes find how they engage with consumers (including current customers). This will give you an inside look at whether or not they’re the type of business or organization you truly want to do business with;
• Twitter – Not far behind Facebook is Twitter, a site that has found a certain niche with not only celebrities, athletes, politicians and others, but also the business world. Many companies (and individuals for that matter) that are involved in heavy marketing of their respective brands use Twitter to drum-up more business. Since that’s the case, it would behoove you as a consumer to follow a number of these companies and groups that have products and/or services of interest to you. When people are tweeting and retweeting, it opens up a world of conversations for both the business owner or organizational leader and the general public. Since you’re typically in the latter group, take advantage of such discussions to learn more about the things you’re most interested in;
• Instagram – Growing leaps and bounds the last couple of years, Instagram is great for seeing what products and services actually look like and what they can do. Take for example a business that sells real estate. They would quite frankly be foolish not to have a presence on Instagram. In doing so, they can post pictures and information on houses, apartments, condos, office rental properties and more. In turn, the prospective buyer (it might just be you) can see firsthand what the property looks like without having to dig through a newspaper listing or other such periodical. If you don’t already have your own Instagram account, you might want to consider changing that this year. If a brand’s product or service is of interest to you, do a Google search to see if they have an Instagram account. While some may be locked in a “private” mode, most businesses have open accounts for the public to see and learn about.

The above-mentioned social sites are but three of many out there.

As a consumer, take the time and effort to familiarize yourself with those companies or organizations that are socially active.

In the end, doing so could ultimately save you time and money when it comes to finding the brands you want and need for your lifestyle.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1VwC7O3 via transformational marketing
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1PoT59w