Importance of Social Networking to Business

I often hear business people say that social networking is for private individuals not for business. If you are thinking like that check out the latest Hitwise data which shows that

Online retailers receiving less traffic from paid search, but more from social networks in the UK.

The article continues by giving two examples of the importance of social networking by stating

“For example, fashion retailer ASOS has a strong presence on Facebook and in March received 13.3% of its traffic from the social network. Another example – in a very different market – is online bookseller Abebooks, which currently receives a quarter of all its UK Internet traffic from social networks, more than it gets from search engines.“

This makes complete sense to me, for as we know social media has grown because, in part, of the consumers apathy to traditional advertising. Consumers are trusting the recommendations of friends more than those on a billboard or the TV. It therefore makes complete sense that friends recommending products and services are a great driver of traffic to a site.

Therefore how can you tap into social networking as a generator of traffic?

1. By the brand participating in the conversation and being a trusted friend to the community.
2. By the brand knowing and finding the right community to whom the brand will add true value.
3. By having a personality rather than a slogan.