Integrative Waves is enjoying discovering the wonderful worlds of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and email newsletters with Constant Contact. All the while we have been blogging merrily away, finding our voice, socializing on social media. Now it is time to look further afield and consider other online marketing tools.....
We considered quite a few. However, what was interesting is that very quickly there became a realization of what was NOT a consideration for Integrative Waves. Perhaps later but also ........maybe never.
Not considered were the coupon sites such as Groupon and Living Social. This absolute distaste of third party coupon companies dates back to when I started my first esthetics business. I did not have a good experience then so it has tainted my outlook! I think coupons work in my industry when one is trying to fill time slots that are slow - a little money is better than no money is the philosophy, I guess. For me at this time, not a good idea.
An important thing for a business to always keep in mind is what type of brand image and reputation is the business trying to build and maintain? If you charge one client X amount for a service and another client buys a coupon from a third party site and pays a deeply discounted price (50%+ less) for the same service, what is that really saying about the value of your service? What does it say to your clients that paid the 'real' price?
So no coupon sites for Integrative Waves!
Okay....what are good choices?
LinkedIn - will be very useful for me. Joining relevant groups, providing answers when applicable can develop my reputation and demonstrate my expertise in certain areas.
I have had a LinkedIn account for a while. Now I need to delve into LinkedIn and use it to a fuller extent. I will link Integrative Waves' Twitter account and blog to support this.
Google + - I like the idea of Communities to gain more knowledge. As a sole practitioner, it is very easy to get busy and not keep up with industry advancements. I also like Hangouts where online meetings for clients can be held to discuss interesting topics. This avoids the inconvenience of people having to travel and can demonstrate respect for people's time.
I already have an individual account but need to establish the business side. I have been hesitant to use Google+ since I did not really understand the intricacies. Now it is time to play!
Google Maps - When first considering Google Maps, I was concerned about displaying my address since it is a private residence-based business at present. However, this is rather ironic because Health Grades tagged my address years ago. Another of my professional memberships also has my address Google mapped. So why am I concerned? It will help people find me and allow them to have confidence that Integrative Waves is a real 'bona-fide' business.
Yelp - To tell the truth, I am rather undecided regarding Yelp. Their credibility regarding reviews is an issue for me. However, many consumers look to Yelp for opinions and recommendations for businesses so Integrative Waves does need to have a presence there. But that presence need to be monitored regularly so that good and bad reviews can be responded to in a timely manner....
All these tools are useful. However, like everything else, they have to be managed well to be truly of benefit to Integrative Waves. Time is a factor - how much can be managed on a regular basis, realistically? Time can help or hurt Integrative Waves. Basic old-fashioned commonsense must prevail here.
Where will Integrative Waves appear next? The saga continues. Stay tuned for the next installment.....
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