Weaving a social media marketing strategy into your business approach is crucial. It wasn’t always like this, though. Think back 10 years ago and you’ll remember social media wasn’t even that prevalent. Businesses mostly engaged in traditional marketing methods but today, the industry has evolved to a point where engaging in social media marketing is a must. This collaborative outlet can take your businesses to the next level.
It doesn’t have to be hard to make social media work for you. All you have to do is become more accessible to your potential clients. Once you have them, you must deliver on your promises. Social media should be a core component of your marketing strategy, but if it isn’t, it’s time to implement it. You can start out by joining Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube as a business user. This will connect you with your audience on an organic level. Check out these must-do’s:
- Keep your business profile up to date, posting at least three times a week and creating relevant blogs once per week, says Social Media Today.
- Put incentives out there so your users follow you. You can go about this with coupons, promotions, deals, and specials to help your customers become actively engaged.
- Create and manage profiles daily.
- Share information via posts, tweets, and video postings.
- Collaborate with your peers on LinkedIn.
- Use questions, polls, and comments to draw out feedback.
Don’t be Afraid to Share
Be the subject matter expert in your field. Sure, anyone can say they’re an expert at something or claim to be the best. You have to SHOW everyone you know what you’re talking about. Get them to trust you through direct and indirect approaches. First off, share news that directly affects your company and your customers. This can involve anything from menu updates and seasonal promotions to holiday hours and announcements. It’s also important to incorporate indirect information, though. This can include anything from helpful YouTube videos and guides to blogs or white papers that work to explain a process.
Manage Your Interactions
Social media marketing is great because it comes at very little cost. It’s more of a time commitment than anything else. In fact, you can even hire a specialist to handle your postings for you if you’re a large company with a budget. Small businesses can start off doing this on their own. It’s important to project your voice to be heard over the competition, allowing your audience to relate to your business and form opinions of how it’s relevant to them. Be genuine yet be helpful. Some tips include:
- Respond quickly to postings
- Encourage users to share their experiences, take photos, and tag others
- Open up the flow of information and keep it open
- Nurture relationships from initial contact
- Actively listen to your audience and respond quickly
- Speak to your followers as friends
- Don’t use corporate jargon on social media; save that for your website.
Social media marketing is a key part of your business approach. Use it wisely and it will work for you.
