Get a free social media audit for your startup business

At ‘245 days...” I take a look at all of the aspects of your startup business that you need to get right first time to get you in line for success. There are so many areas of startup business that must be done correctly to make sure that you don’t end up as one of the statistics of failure. Startup businesses are particularly vulnerable to closing down in the first few years. It can happen for a variety of reasons but the major factor in this is cash flow. This comes about because of not enough customers. It is vital as early on in the process as possible for a new business to start recruiting customers. In the past they may have involved expensive marketing campaigns, but in the modern world it involves making use of the free medium of social media.

Unfortunately, because it is free, some people in business seem to think that you can throw whatever you like at it and something will come back. There are millions of users on the social media networks and a high proportion is small business. To be seen takes a strategy.

How do you get your audience to find you? How do you gain a meaningful audience? Where do you turn for help?

Gradient Social Solutions is currently offering free social media audits for your startup business. It means that you can get quality advice from a professional in this field. It can transform the way that your company uses social media and the engagement you have with your audience.

Gradient Social Solutions have been helping clients for years to make the most of their social media presence. They work on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get you an audience that means something to you. They look to engage followers that are likely to buy and endorse your products to get you traffic that converts into business.

When I first started on Twitter for my business I was thrilled to see that I was followed by Yoko Ono and the crown Prince of some country I hadn’t really heard of. After a short while it dawned on me that this wasn’t my audience. These were not people that were going to buy my product. It is by having your target audience follow you on social media and reacting to what you post that you can convert this free tool into income and profit. Don’t be fooled by follower numbers.

As you would expect with a marketing company that helps you with social media, Gradient Social Solutions have their own Facebook page that you can check out.

At ‘245 days...’ I repeatedly extol the virtues of marketing, especially when the medium is free to use. Social media is a great way to engage with your customers and get them to interact with you and your business. It is a really cost-effective way to generate new customers and to turn these customers into loyal customers. However you need to use social media correctly if you want a return from it. Gradient Social Solutions can give you a free audit to make sure you are doing just this. Contact them today!

Ray, the walking estate agent

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I've worked with many people who consider themselves good salesmen. Watching The Apprentice this series makes me realise that some work really really hard at sales and others just have it naturally.

When watching the programme it makes me think back to people I've worked with in estate agency and how successful or otherwise they were in their sakes roles.

Some can use their gender and their natural spiral to strike a deal, without resorting to high innuendo. Roisin from this years programme struck a great deal with the diamond seller in last weeks episode probably in part because he found her alluring. But you can't have that connection with every customer. So what about different sellers and how they operate? I've come across a few.

There was a guy called Lesley and he played on this fact with customers. He often referred to himself as the man with a woman's name. It distinguished him from all of the other estate agents out there. And it got results - people remembered him.

Which brings me to Ray, the walking estate agent. He was the loveliest man. He had nothing but good to say about everyone, and everyone had nothing but good to say about Ray. He had a driving licence, but no car. So Ray walked everywhere. He'd leave for an appointment a mile away over an hour before so he could walk there and be in plenty of time. He wasn't the most dynamic of characters, he often needed reminding or prompting but he was just a wonderful guy. His vendors, buyers, landlords and renters loved him and just bought from him.

The walking everywhere was Ray's "man with a woman's name." What's yours?