As you may have noticed, over the past couple of months BNI has delved into the world of Social Media – and it has proved extremely successful. Here at BNI South West Midlands, we like to ensure we put the member first, and this is just another way of doing so.

We did have a reasonably slow start – but now we have over 90 followers on Twitter, over 80 friends on Facebook, and 60 people following our Facebook page. This week though, following the release of the updated Facebook ‘groups’, we are seeing people across the region swapping details and finding our new experiment extremely useful. Here’s to hoping this continues.

For those who don’t know Social media websites very well, it is simply a myth that you can only use these sites for personal use! Setting up your own business page can increase visibility by such a massive amount – here are some Facebook facts:
•   More than 500 million active users
•   50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
•   Average user has 130 friends
•   People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

Admittedly, this is worldwide, and everyone can tell that you aren’t going to receive business off every single person on Facebook. But if you already have the contacts and target market, what better way than Social Media? You’ll probably find a lot of your contacts are using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn now to try and increase business. Regular, interesting updates can really capture a reader’s attention and attract them to your business. So, if you’re already on Facebook or Twitter, but aren’t following us, why not join us?

Twitter: @BNISWMidlands

Facebook: Add Bni Swmidlands to be invited to the group.

Not yet on these sites? Don’t hesitate to contact me through the contact number or via e-mail at tom@bni-swmidlands.co.uk if you need any tips or help setting up – I’d be delighted to help.

Tom Knibb