3 Simple Rules for Social Media Marketing
I have a confession to make. At one time, I thought social media was a passing fad that had no place in business. I know that sounds crazy today. It’s almost like saying that the earth is flat or that the automobile would never replace the horse and buggy, but I’ve seen the error of my ways.
As much as many of us often decry how social media has taken over our lives, we have to admit that it’s here to stay. It’s become a constant in most people’s day to-day routine. That’s why most successful businesses have a social media strategy as part of their marketing plan.
Here’s three things to consider when using social media to market your business:
1. Choose the Right Platform
When speaking to business owners, I’ve heard a lot of them ask “Should I be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.?” Generally, I’ll tell them yes, but there are a few qualifications. Firstly, they have to ask themselves whether a social media presence fits into their overall marketing objectives. Secondly, they have to consider whether there are any customers to be found on that particular platform. You need to think about your customers and where you’re likely to find them.
If you’re selling to consumers, Facebook is probably the best social media channel for you to reach your target market. It’s still the world’s largest social media platform. According to recent research by Statistica.com,1.52 billion active users visited the social network on a daily basis. No matter what your market niche, you’re likely to find potential customers on the site. It also has a lot of advertising options that can complement your engagement efforts.
I don’t use Twitter very often for my business, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Depending on your industry, it could be your most important social media channel. With over 300 million active Twitter users worldwide, is hard to ignore its potential as part of your marketing strategy. It’s not by accident that it’s been used so successfully by Donald Trump and others to connect directly with voters.
LinkedIn is a platform that we’ve been using a lot lately. It continues to be one of the best social media channels for b2b professionals. Not only is it a great way to connect with colleagues and clients, it’s also useful for posting job openings, company updates, case studies, etc. One of its greatest assets is its Sales Navigator tool. It taps into the power of LinkedIn’s 500M+ member network to help sales professionals find and build relationships with prospects and customers through social selling.
Obviously, there’s a number of other tools available such as YouTube, Instagram, Snap Chat, etc. Each of them caters to a specific demographic, but with the right research and marketing strategy, you can tap into your target market very quickly.
2. Use Your Own Voice
You’re probably saying to yourself “Who else’s voice could I use?” What I mean is that your social media posts should be written in a way that reflects your personality and your brand.
If you’ve read some of my older blog and social media posts, you’ll probably notice they were written in a somewhat different style than this article. They tended to use more formal language along with numerous acronyms as well as technical jargon. It was likely because I was trying to sound more “corporate.” I was trying to affect what I thought was a more serious tone because I assumed that it was what my clients would prefer to hear. Over time, I’ve found that this wasn’t an effective way to build rapport with people. I’ve gradually adjusted my writing style to be more informal because that reflects our brand and my particular speaking style.
What’s important is that you present your message in a voice that matches your values and your brand personality. We can once again look to Donald Trump for a great example of this. Regardless of whether you support him or not, I think most would agree that his tweets are very reflective of his brand. I’m not suggesting you have to follow his aggressive style, but there are things we can learn from his Twitter strategy.
3. Engage With Your Followers
It’s not enough to just set up a Twitter or Facebook account and post non-stop marketing messages. You have to engage with your followers on a regular basis. This increases loyalty and generates word-of-mouth.
As I mentioned in our article about dealing with negative online reviews, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as friends. Therefore, they’re likely to trust people’s comments on your social media accounts in the same way. Additionally, people expect businesses to respond on social media, and fast. If you don’t, your existing and prospective customers may assume you don’t care about them.
Engaging with your clients via social media can also be a form of market research. I’ve often used my LinkedIn account to learn from our customers about how we can improve our services and better serve them.
Conclusion
As discussed above, creating a social media strategy is a great way to build credibility, boost search engine rankings, and increase website traffic. You can also build relationships with potential and existing clients. Considering the minimal effort, expense, and work involved, it’s something that all small business owners should be doing.
Need Help With Your Site?
Just let us know if you’re interested in implementing the tips above, but you’re not quite sure how to do it. We’d be happy to discuss your site and see how we can improve your online marketing.
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