Most businesses are by now using social media as means of branding and driving sales. When leveraged correctly, social media can make a substantial difference in your bottom line. With 2012 all shiney and new, it’s the perfect time for you to consider amping up the social media strategy for your brand. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
1. Define & Focus on your End Game – For anything to work well, it’s imperative to have a vision. Develop a plan that begins with your end game in mind. Exactly what do you want to get out of your social media endeavors? Increased sales? Lead generation? Lots of buzz? Social media can be used in so many aspects of your marketing initiatives- i.e. product & service launches, customer engagement, reputation management and much more. It’s essential to establish your vision prior to embarking on a social media strategy. Coming up with a solid plan takes time and some research. If you have already been using social media for your business, evaluate how you’re doing with the plan that you originally had in mind. Are you achieving your goals? If not, it’s time to re-focus and streamline your vision.
2. Maintain your Voice – If you are using social media as a means of branding and getting your business’ message out there, make sure that you speak from the voice of that business. If, for example, you’re posting Facebook and Twitter updates as a means of promoting your real estate business, it’s crucial that you post information relevant to real estate (i.e. new listings; before & after staging photos of homes; changes to mortgage rates, etc.) that your clients and prospects are going to be interested in reading.
3. Be Social – The above being said, it’s important to remember that social media is just that – a social platform within which to engage and interact with people. Keep it business-minded, but keep it social. Statistically, 78% of customers trust peer recommendations. What does that say to you about being social? You want to be accessible to clients and prospects – you want to keep them entertained and engaged. Ensure that your social media platforms allow for dialogue, conversation and interactiveness. Above all else, cater to your clients and prospects via social media – if they have questions, answer them; if they have complaints or concerns, address them - promptly. Focus on their needs.
4. Make a Name for your Business – The more you put your business out there on social media, the more relevant your business’ name becomes in its industry. It’s essential to be as active as possible on social media – and social media by its very nature make it easy for you to do that. Post regularly on Facebook and Twitter; create a Facebook business/fan page; start a blog and post on a regular basis; ensure that you have a fully complete LinkedIn account; conduct promotions that require online viral interaction, etc. Your business needs to be out there in order to be found. Also, ensure that your Facebook and Twitter names are easy for people to remember and relevant to the purpose of your business.
5. Work your Social Media Profiles – It’s imperative that your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles accurately represent and accentuate your business. Again, ensure that what you post is relevant, and also make sure that your profile photos are just as relevant. You want your business to be highly identifiable on social media. You can’t go wrong using your business logo as your profile photo – it’s what people will always identify with your business.
6. Keep it Entertaining and Fun – This is what social media fosters. This is one fundamental way that social media differs from traditional marketing strategies. They allow for fun engagement. You want clients and prospects becoming fans and liking your pages. You don’t want to be boring them to tears.
With the New Year now upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a good look at your social media initiatives. Whether you’re new to the social media game or want to give your strategy an overhaul, we can help. Click on the following link to find to see our schedule of upcoming Social Networking for business workshops. A great way to start off a prosperous New Year!
