HOW TO MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA WORK FOR YOU (AND YOUR BUSINESS)
When social media started, most marketers were skeptical about its potential, and some still are. But, social media is now one of the fastest-growing channels for companies to market their products or services. Social media can be a great way to generate awareness about your business and build relationships with potential leads. But social media can also be a waste of time and money unless you know how to use it effectively. In this blog post, I’m going to show you how to create an easy-to-manage social media presence that will help your business. Choose the right Social Media Channels If you’re looking for a successful social media strategy, it’s important to choose the right channels. Most brands that want to build a strong online presence rely on social media for marketing purposes. While some social media platforms offer advertising opportunities, others are more focused on sharing content. Here’s how to choose the right channels for your brand’s goals: Set up your profiles Now let’s talk about those profiles. These aren’t just for bragging rights. A profile is a snapshot of who you are and what your brand stands for. A profile doesn’t have to be lengthy. It can be simple, concise, and to the point. If you’re just getting started with social media, think about your mission/vision statement, niche, goals, and what service/product you deliver. You can use that information to fill in your (business) profile. For example, I have a business profile that includes things like what is my business about, who I serve, and what services I offer. A professional profile can include things like my education and the companies I’ve worked for. Optimize your profiles The next tip is a bit counter-intuitive, but it’s key to optimizing your social media profiles for the right audiences. While most marketers assume that the more followers you have, the more successful you will be, that simply isn’t true. The number of people following you doesn’t really matter—it’s the people who are likely to engage with you that really counts. So, instead of trying to grow your follower count, focus on growing your fan base. Once you’ve got a good size audience, start paying attention to the messages and comments that you receive and respond to them accordingly. Share your content One of the most important parts of social media marketing is the content you share. If you share high-quality content and provide value in the process, people will respond positively. If you share low-quality content, you could actually harm your brand. High-quality content is what makes social media useful, it helps businesses build relationships and gain leads and followers. Manage your comments Social media marketing includes all types of posts on social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These posts include tweets, status updates, pictures, links, videos, and blogs. With social media, you don’t have to do everything yourself. But you still need to be present. Even if you hire someone to run your social media, you need to monitor it frequently to make sure your customers are interacting with you. I can’t overstate the importance of responding to comments in a positive manner. Comments can add a lot of value to your content, but they can also be a big negative if you aren’t careful about handling them. People expect you to respond, and when you don’t, you start to lose credibility. You’re missing a huge opportunity to build relationships and develop new business. Build your audience In the beginning, you might need to build up your social media presence slowly and steadily if you’re trying to reach out to people who aren’t already familiar with you. The idea here is to establish yourself as someone who is trustworthy and reliable, someone who can be trusted to deliver quality content and provide valuable insights and tips. The longer you’re active on social networks, the more your following will grow, and the more you’ll be recognized as a legitimate influencer. A smart entrepreneur spends more time and money building her audience than she does promoting herself, and only then does she start to promote herself. Once she has an audience, she then gets to spend her precious time and resources promoting and telling stories about herself, and her brand, that her audience finds interesting, valuable, and engaging. Respond to comments In social media, reciprocity is most often seen when someone responds to a comment made by another user. The rule is simple: always respond to others when they comment on your content. The reason for this is that most people enjoy feeling that they have been acknowledged and appreciated. In fact, there’s a term for this — the “warm glow.” By responding to comments, you increase the chances of a warm glow. In order to keep people coming back to your page and interacting with you, you have to show them that you’re approachable. In the same vein, you have to be careful of what you choose to talk about, too. People don’t just post mean things online. They say nice things too. So you need to have a good sense of yourself and know what you’re talking about when you’re online. Engage with other users Social media has been touted by some of the most popular brands on the web as a way to boost their reach, build brand awareness, engage with customers, and increase conversions. But there’s a catch—it requires real effort and attention. The thing is, social media doesn’t happen automatically; it takes time and effort to build your community and grow your audience. Drive traffic to your website It’s no secret that social media is the main driver of traffic to websites. It’s also no secret that using social media effectively will allow you to build a relationship with your audience on social media. By building an audience and following on social media, you’re setting yourself up for success on the web. You’ll be able to engage with your audience, build
