Again, you are on Facebook for one reason: to present people with information that will persuade them to do more business with you, more often.

That said, you must remember that on Facebook and in other social media settings, the traditional rules of marketing have gone out the window. This is not the place to use high-pressure tactics, present proposals, or even to ask for the sale.

How do you proceed then? Step one is to craft your pitch, also known as the Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

Your pitch is the concise statement of the value you provide to your customers, crafted so that you can drop it into conversation without it sounding like the old classic sales pitch. The idea is that when a prospect hears it, it grabs their attention, and they really understand the benefits that you can deliver to their business or life.

When it works, your pitch will engage your prospect so that they want to hear more. You know it’s working when they hear it and ask you, “How do you do that?”

When that happens, the door is open to:

• Continue the conversation (online or face-to-face).
• Engage further with the prospect.
• Possibly convert them into your newest client.

How do you craft a statement like that? There’s a bit of homework involved before you sit down to write.

Start by putting yourself in the shoes of your prospect. And not just any prospect, but the one who is perfect for you. That would be the one who, upon becoming a customer is going to:

• Love what you do for them
• Come back again and again
• Not require a high level of maintenance
• Pay on time
• Refer others to you

Your pitch is going to be aimed directly at this person, so you want to know all about them:

• What challenges they face
• What concerns they have
• What unmet need you could fulfill for them
• The language they use to talk about their issues and concerns

You probably have an intuitive sense about these things.  Even so, there’s nothing like asking directly, so it will be instructive to interview the best of your existing customers.

Ask them what they like most about your product or service. Ask them what other products and services they like. Find out what kind of car they drive and where they live. Get to know them even better than you already do, and focus your attention on the problem you solve for them.

How does it feel to face that problem? How does your business solve that problem better than anyone else? And how does it feel to finally have it resolved?

Now you’re ready to write your pitch. If writing is not your favorite activity (and even if it is), remember these key points:

• Be brief. Everyone is time-challenged.
• Be conversational. Don’t use big words and industry jargon.
• Write in the active voice.
• To get it right, be prepared to revise it dozens of times. The first draft is never the final draft.

Here’s a free 15-second pitch tool to help you get started. Here’s another one called Buzzuka (requires registration).

And here are some examples from Wikipedia of some good USPs:

• Domino’s Pizza: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free.”
• FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight”
• M&M’s: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand”
• Wonder Bread: “Wonder Bread Helps Build Strong Bodies 12 Ways”

Can you see how having a great USP can be a guiding light for your business?

Once you’ve got a few pitches down on paper, settle on two or three finalists. If you’ve done this well, the pitch embeds some emotion, piques the listener or reader’s interest, and leaves them eager to know more.

Run these draft pitches past people you trust. Ask if it works for them — if it really gets to the essence of your business. Decide on a winner, and then post it in your Facebook and Twitter profiles.

A well-crafted pitch can really turbo-charge your marketing efforts. It’s useful to have a few variations – the seven-word pitch, the 12-word pitch, the 30-word pitch. You can use these in all of your marketing materials, and in daily conversations, over and over, until everyone knows what your business stands for – and why they have to be your next customer!

Next we’ll talk about how to create a content strategy that will enable you to get your pitch out there in front of the right people – your future clients and customers.

It’s a smart move. There are 500 million people there, including some of your customers and prospects. There are also lots of businesses vying for their attention. Not with traditional marketing techniques, because they don’t work here.

On Facebook you’re trying to connect with the right people, and actually move them closer to doing business with you. How do you achieve that?

The main principle to keep in mind is this:

Be clear about why you’re on Facebook, and focus on the value you’re delivering to your fans.

It goes without saying, but sometimes you may need to remind yourself: You’re on Facebook to more effectively market your business and serve your existing customers. You are not there to:

• Reconnect with high school acquaintances, many of whom you wouldn’t recognize if you saw them.
• Convince others to align their political or religious beliefs with your own.
• Accumulate points in Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.

These are distractions you can’t afford.

So, what are you bringing to the table? Why should people click the “Like” button when they land on your page?

A survey earlier this year (cited by eMarketer) asked people who became fans of businesses on Facebook why they did so:

• 25 percent said “To receive discounts and promotions”
• 21 percent said “I am a customer of the company”
• 18 percent said “To show others that I like/support this brand”

This data raises some questions for you to consider:

• Are you in a business where your prospects and customers appreciate or expect a discount?
• How would a Facebook discount fit into your overall marketing plan?
• What do your fans and prospects typically like to talk about?
• What do they value, and what types of content can you post that will align with that?

If you’ve articulated your brand well, then you are uniquely positioned, and you have something to work with. Maybe a discount doesn’t work for your business, but a series of videos – instructional or entertaining — makes a lot of sense. Or maybe you realize that polling your audience creates value for you and your fans.

There are lots of tools to work with. They key is to have your brand identity and your purpose well defined. Then you can develop a content strategy that furthers your goals.

We’ll talk more about that in the next post.

Here’s how to leverage your Google Places listing: Tell your customers who love you to leave you a review there. They can write a review from your Google Maps listing:

Or from your Google Places listing:

If a customer has had a positive experience with your business, they’ll be happy to leave a positive review that tells the world of prospects out there why they should choose you.

Start doing this now and you will accumulate enough reviews to make you stand out as the people’s choice among your competition – and give a boost to your search rankings.

If you really want to take advantage of this, e-mail your customers the link that Google provides in your Places listing (and place it on your website and Facebook page):

Tell your customers to share the love! (And then go leave a positive review for them too.)

That’s the conventional wisdom. The truth is, if you want to attract more clients, you can’t afford to miss the boat on social media — because that’s where your prospects are.

News flash: More people are staying away from newspapers and other traditional forms of marketing, and spending more time online, where they connect with their friends and discuss everything, including products and services they like (and dislike).

How do you take advantage of this? Where do you start?

Let’s take a quick look at some of the most popular social media marketing tools for small business, and examine what’s good and not so good.

1. Facebook

At more than 500 million registered members and growing, Facebook is the world’s largest social network. It allows people to share photos, links, videos and comments with their approved friends, and friends of friends.

For businesses, Facebook provides the opportunity to put up a page that people can publicly “Like,” which all of their friends will see.

What small businesses like about Facebook

• Whatever business you are in, your prospects are there.
• You can post brand-appropriate video, photos, etc.
• There’s not much of a learning curve and you can get started immediately
• There’s a viral effect when acquaintances hit the “Like” button, which enables you to get your message to ever greater circles of qualified prospects (if you go about it correctly).

What small businesses don’t like about Facebook

• Facebook asserts ownership of your information – you aren’t able to build a list in the traditional sense.
• Your creativity is limited. You have to follow Facebook’s templates and rules for content presentation.
• Although it’s huge, it’s still a closed community. If your customers aren’t Facebook users, you won’t reach them there.

2. Twitter

Twitter allows people to communicate with ‘followers’ who have signed up to receive ‘tweets,’ which are messages up to 140 characters in length, via computer or cell phone.

Sound crazy? It is a little nutty, but think of it this way: It’s another channel to people interested in what’s new with your product or service. As with Facebook, it’s pretty much guaranteed that your prospects and customer are on Twitter. They are listening to what’s being said, and chiming in with their own input. So you really can’t afford not to be there with them.

What small businesses like about Twitter

• It’s a quick and easy way to direct people to other places on the Web that you want them to go to.
• It can serve as a good way to monitor what people are saying about your product or service.
• Twitter can give you greater exposure through retweets, search results, and your own growing list of followers.

What small businesses don’t like about Twitter

• You are limited to 140 characters, which can be a challenge.
• There’s a lot of noise in this channel and it’s hard to stand out.
• If someone has a problem with your business, they can be very vocal and start brush fires of negative attention.

3. LinkedIn

LinkedIn lets people post an online resume, so it’s more focused on users who want to build and leverage a network of professionals. If yours is a business-to-business enterprise, LinkedIn can be a great place to connect with others, nurture existing relationships, and be there when people need what you offer.

What small businesses like about LinkedIn

• There are a lot of groups focused on specific interests. These provide direct channels to targeted prospects.
• Answering questions can help you build your credibility as an expert, (and asking them can help you build your knowledge).
• The network effect: Friends of friends can help you get to who you want, and/or may be qualified prospects for your product or service.

What small businesses don’t like about LinkedIn

• There can be a lot of self-serving marketing, which tends to turn people off.
• Some people are just collecting contacts, and aren’t really interested in anything else.
• LinkedIn is not as big as Facebook and Twitter, so your exposure is not as great.

So there you have it – the basics on the three biggest social networks.

Stay tuned, we’ll continue to discuss specific strategies and tactics you can employ to use these networks to your advantage as you grow your business.