Speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and founder of the Boss Network, a leading online community of professional and entrepreneurial women who support each other through conversation, online and event-based networking, Cameka Smith, recently chatted with BlackEnterprise.com about the impact social media has on building a successful business. Check out what she shared.
[Related: 7 Common Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make]
BlackEnterprise.com: How has social media impacted your business influence and reach?
Smith: Social media has been the life-blood of my brand. The Boss Network is a social networking site so our platform is online, although we do offline events. When I first started my brand online we created brand ambassadors that helped push the message through our Twitter chats and through our posts and that’s actually how we got lifted in Forbes and other magazines. There was a lot of validation that came from having a social brand and really having women who pushed our brand online socially.
How can an aspiring entrepreneur utilize social media to take their business venture to the next level?
Social media is a great branding tool. When you’re starting your business you might not have clients or customers coming out of the gate but social media is a great way to build an audience that may be interested in your service or product. Be sure to have great content around your brand. Follow influencers in your industry to see what they’re doing. Use online mentorships to learn strategies and ways people are leveraging their brands.
What are the social media “tricks of the trade†a new entrepreneur should know?
A trick of the trade is good branding. There are so many social platforms and so many influencers launching businesses you have to set yourself apart. The way you do this is by having a consistent brand. Make sure your messaging is aligned with the aesthetics of your brand–if it is a color scheme, or brand logo, or message. People like repetition and consistency.
Engagement is also important. Make sure you’re talking to your followers and seeing what their interests are. Post selfies, pictures, and videos of you engaging your brand.
In what ways can social media to be a hindrance for a business or brand? Is there a downside?
There are definitely some don’ts in social media. On social media people are watching you so if you’re negative, or talking about people, or you’re having strong offensive views about something, your customers or brands that are following you they see that and may not want to do business with you.
What should attendees of the 2016 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit expect from your Social Footprint meetup?
I want attendees to learn how to actually leverage #squadgoals; as we’re building our squad, as we’re building our network, how we leverage that to get new business, clients, and partnerships. This is how we actually create revenue in our business. The old saying “your network determines your net worth†is very relevant and this is the take-away attendees will get from my meetup.
Learn even more from Cameka Smith about your social footprint at the 2016 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit, May 4-7, Loews Hotel Miami, Miami, Florida. Register now
