Local Businesses can make More Money Using Yahoo Groups
It’s a common practice for people in our area use the Internet to prepare for, or even replace, going out and shopping. Some feel better when they shop from home, or the office, online before making an in-person purchase. Others are home-bound or nearly home-bound, and have an even greater need to do research online before leaving the house or sending someone out to buy something for them.
Yahoo devotes a portion of their online existence to an area called Yahoo Groups. People can gather themselves together by interest, or geography. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com. A search for “Englewood, FL” or “Charlotte County Fl” will result in a list of groups that serve as local bulletin boards. These boards provide an online place for the general public to visit, to become acquainted with what's happening in our community including, sales, events, meetings and anything/everything else. Typical community bulletin boards are centered on local announcements. Businesses, non-profit groups, and individuals alike are welcome to post messages here, free of charge, announcing various things. Your advertising message is welcome here as well, providing your messages are not spammy, adult oriented, or offensive. Bulletin Boards are a great way to jump out into the online community, develop a bit of a good reputation for only a little effort & no cost.
Other sites have group areas as well, but Yahoo is the largest and has been around the longest. The Groups area has been a stable and reliable part of what Yahoo has to offer the small business owner.
Join every group in your customer area. If you have a product you can easily ship, do additional searches for your industry, using common keywords of interest to see what groups already exist. Join any appropriate groups and if you are fortunate enough to find no groups in your area of expertise, by all means, start one! As moderator/owner of this group, you’ll be the instant expert in your field.
Each board has valuable tools for the business owner to use, also free of charge. Become entrenched in each board by using all the free tools available and check often to make sure all your information is accurate and up to date. Create a photo album of your most popular merchandise. Change the pictures regularly for more attention.
Do not fail to add your link to each board that allows it, Add a link to your Facebook/Twitter page and your blog, in addition to your website. Put links up for groups or causes you support. Make sure to post a message to the group when you add information, let them know who you are and what you are doing. Toot your own horn!
Another tool is a calendar. Use the calendar, if the group moderator allows it, to create events and schedule up to two automated reminders that will post as messages to the group. Schedule a reminder as far as 5 days in advance of the day, and another one as close as 15 minutes before the event. Use this feature to spread the word about your favorite non-profit activity too. Kid in a play? Post it! Cookie sale time, charity collection, and school activities are all suitable messages for boards like this. Using your business name as your Yahoo ID means each post and/or action is a mini-ad!
Make sure to note the rules of each board. Some may allow messages to be posted every day while others allow businesses to post merely once a month. Become a regular poster, with pertinent, positive messages, and you’ll soon see good results. A quick search on You Tube will produce a selection of Yahoo Group Tutorials. Watch one, watch all. Proceed as you need to.
These free tools are valuable, and can certainly be used to add to your bottom line. Be organized in your plan and follow through. A few minutes every week can pay off in a big way.
Local Yahoo Groups include:
Freecycle_Englewood-Rotonda
Englewood_Networking_Meeting
S_Sarasota_County_Bulletin_Board
EnglewoodDigest
GulfCoveDigest
NorthPortDigest
RotondaDigest
CapeHazeDigest
BocaGrandeDigest
No comments:
Post a Comment