Is your business engaging in social media marketing in Northern Virginia?
While many businesses are focusing their social media marketing efforts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linked-In, few businesses are aware of, or taking advantage of, the marketing opportunities available through local Yahoo Groups.
What is a Yahoo Group?
A Yahoo Group is a self-selected group of individuals who share a common interest. Yahoo group membership is free and open to anyone who registers for membership and is approved by the group moderator.
The Fauquier County Yahoo Group is an active forum of 858 members who regularly post and share information about local community news, activities, events and resources. The Fauquier County Yahoo Group Members frequently ask each other for recommendations to reputable local businesses that other members know, like and trust.
I monitor the Fauquier County Yahoo Group message posts and respond on behalf of my clients whenever I see people looking for the products or services my clients sell.
Case Example
Recently, a local resident posed this question on the Fauquier County Yahoo Groups:
“Anyone know of a good company or person to replace a double hung window. Must be reasonable and do quality work.”
Soon afterward, a group member replied with details about her recent experiences with several companies and a recommendation:
“We ended up going with Paul Henry’s. Even though their price was a little higher their local reputation was beyond reproach. . . . The window has been installed and we are very happy with the quality of the window and the work. I would definitely recommend them.”
Seeing an opportunity, I joined in the conversation with a quick reply and a link to a Paul Henry’s Windows video in which he explains in detail the difference in quality among low-priced vinyl windows and the brands he carries:
The video link provided in the message above takes the viewer to this Paul Henry’s video:
Online Word of Mouth Recommendations
We all know that people prefer to do business with businesses they already know, like and trust. Nearly every day, Yahoo Group members ask each other for word-of-mouth referrals to trusted and reputable local businesses. Alert business owners or employees can join in these conversations and attract more customers with thoughtful responses.
Even if your business is located outside Fauquier County, you can probably find other Yahoo Groups local to your area that work the same way. It’s easy to join a Yahoo Group and get on the mailing list for real-time message alerts, or daily summaries of messages posted.
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