Just think, with this much power behind your niche market or entrepreneurial idea, you have an opportunity as never before in history to put yourself in front of key industry influencers. With the right strategy, you can turn strangers into friends, and friends into supporters, promoters, and clients. Examples:
- In November of 2009, Michael Stelzner launched an online publication called the Social Media Examiner. He quite purposefully chose not to invest in any traditional marketing efforts. Using only the power of social marketing, he reached number one status for business blogs with Technorati. Within his first quarter, the Examiner had nearly 100,000 subscribers. Impressed?
- Morton's Steakhouse ran a Valentine's Day photo promotion on Facebook in 2009. As a result, overall business and sales experienced a marked increase.
- Target has been on board with Facebook since 2007. Instead of just talking about their business and offering the latest sales flyer, Target started a Party Planning Page. Target experienced a 6 % increase in sales as a direct result.
- The Desert Gallery of Houston was part of a Harvard Business Review case study. Their Facebook Fan Page drew 20% more direct visits to their store from Facebook fans. As an added bonus, Facebook fans spent 33% more than the average customer.
