A recent survey of social enterprises by phone company o2 has suggested that mastering social networking can result in significant monetary gains – on average adding an astonishing £212,000 to a company’s bottom line.

The survey also found that two-thirds of social enterprises (businesses that are driven by a social or environmental purpose) are using networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in the day-to-day running of their operations, and almost the same percentage of those questioned believe that doing so will boost their income by 15% in the next year and a half.

However, it is estimated that just 10% of traditional small businesses are using  Twitter or Facebook to boost their brand.

Something for nothing?

Considering that most social networking sites are free to join, easy to get the hang of and only take a few minutes each day to update, it’s definitely worth considering your social networking strategy to see if you are making the most of its potential.

If you’re feeling nervous, remember it’s just a matter of getting involved and learning what works best for your business, even if you make mistakes from time to time. Not every social network works for every business, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to explore the benefits.

Even celebrities don’t always get it right – rap-star P-Diddy is a prime example. Demonstrating what not to do when he used his Twitter account to promote his brand of vodka, Ciroc, he posted the following:

“If it aint Ciroc it’s Pee Pee!!!! Let it be known!!!! Don’t drink the pee pee! Drink the Best!“. 

It should be noted, however, that this ‘statement’ came from a man credited with boosting the brand’s sales by roughly 48% in 2010 through his wily marketing strategies. What is it they say about all PR being good PR?

Learn by example

These days, Twitter is not just a forum for Steven Fry to let us know when he’s having a cup of tea. It’s an opportunity for companies with a minimal advertising spend to promote their products, a chance for employees to build relationships with customers and a way for like-minded entrepreneurs to develop business links with each other.

Simon Devonshire, General Manager of Small and Medium Businesses at o2, said, “I’m keen to look at how other businesses can learn from their (social enterprises’) success…its becoming an indispensible part of such businesses’ growth plans, helping them promote products and services, build their brands, and develop ideas and innovations”.

So if you fancy giving social networking a go…why not check out our top tips for getting ahead on Twitter by clicking here.

Then read on!

You may have heard of the term ‘domain alias’ but never really known what it means. A domain alias (or tandem, as it’s sometimes also called) is when more than one domain name leads to the same website.

For example, if the domain ‘www.test1.com’ is your chosen Takeaway Website name and you then add the domain alias of ‘www.test2.com’ to your account as well, both addresses would take your visitor to ‘www.test1.com’.

With Mr Site you can add up to six additional domain aliases – these can be names you have purchased from Mr Site or if you have bought domains with other providers, you can either move the domain for Mr Site to host or keep the name with its current registrar and ask them to ‘point’ it at your Takeaway Website.

If you’d like to buy your new domain from Mr Site, click on the ‘Buy’ button from the Main Options pages. Then from the drop down list next to ‘What purchase would you like?’ select ‘Purchase a new domain’. Now, type in your new domain into the box when prompted and if it’s available to purchase, Mr Site will ask you what you’d like to do with it – choose ‘Work in tandem’ and this will place the domain name as an alias alongside your Takeaway Website domain name.

If you have purchased the domain name from another registrar, you will need to contact the Mr Site support team so they can place the domain name as an alias on your account – you can talk to them on Live Chat (just click on the Live Chat icon in the top right hand corner of the Main Options page) or email support@mrsite.co.uk 

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