You have one. Your business probably has one. And as any business expert will probably tell you, you need one to remain competitive and attract and keep customers.

We’re talking about Facebook, Twitter and other social networking outlets, which are as common these days as cell phones and e-mail addresses. As more and more people expect these of the businesses they frequent, many owners and operators find themselves thrust into an online world foreign to many of them until recently. And it’s usually for the better, as businesses that weren’t even thinking of establishing a Web presence have made their products and services known to a countless number of individuals who would not have found out about them otherwise.

Your business’ Facebook or Twitter page is an online advertisement to anyone who lands there. It can also be a lot more, especially when owners and their staff incorporate Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and transform their pages with interactive functions for their customers.  Providing detailed information on your products or services is vital for gaining new business; offering interactive features geared toward customers will keep them coming back.

HOW IT CAN INCREASE YOUR BUSINESS

You want people visiting your Facebook or Twitter page to do more than just look up details on your business or read the posts. You want them to purchase your products and services. And you want to make it easy for them to accomplish this. Just mentioning a discount or promotional item isn’t going to cut it. Today’s online customers want the ability to easily and quickly make a purchase without having to take additional steps to do. A few extra mouse clicks can be too many for some customers. If they can’t conduct and complete a transaction on that same page, they may not bother.

Or they may wait until a later time to make the purchase…or maybe not. They may completely forget that your business was offering this amazing deal, since they weren’t able to purchase it through your Facebook or Twitter page. You could have sealed the deal by simply adding a button or link for them to purchase your service or product.

Perhaps the best example of a SaaS application that fits perfectly into social media pages is online appointment-scheduling and reservation-booking software. Geared primarily toward service-based businesses, these systems typically aid small businesses with such functionality as online customer self-scheduling and automated e-mail and text message reminders. An online scheduler is, in essence, a full-functioning Web page, which makes incorporating the services into your social media pages a snap. Whether it’s a “Book Now” button placed on the page or just a simple URL link, it immediately increases the functionality of your social media page and, most likely, the number of new appointments and reservations you’ll book.

A SaaS appointment-scheduling app, along with a Facebook or Twitter page, can also be an effective marketing combo, as the social media sites are perfect locations for promoting discounts, sales, specials and other advertising. This “one-two” punch accomplishes what traditional advertising and marketing methods have not: The ability to market services and make the sale in one fell swoop.

Simply having a Facebook or Twitter page doesn’t guarantee a jump in sales or rapid exposure for your business. You have to give customers what they want. In instances where you incorporate SaaS applications like online appointment-scheduling—which in itself is a tremendous benefit to someone who conducts the majority of his or her daily tasks online—you improve your overall business performance by increasing sales and streamlining your office operations simultaneously.