As I'm sure most of you are well aware social media is an infectious movement that is transforming the way we do interact; both personally and professionally-and it's here to stay. If you're not online talking about your company, just know that someone else is! It can be both confusing and time consuming trying to become well-versed in all the different social media facets and keep up with them. Some marketing consultants say to use every single one, others say it's best to do just a few and do them each very well. I don't know exactly where I stand on how many of the sites you should be utilizing because each and every business is so different. I do know however that to be successful you can't just be present on social media sites you have to evoke a presence.
The key when it comes to capitalizing on social media is simple. Be present with a presence, be engaging and most importantly, be relevant. A great Facebook page is one that is always delivering relevant information in the realm of their product or service. Things people have an interest in are the posts you will find most read and shared. You must always make sure you're approach is in a fun, personable fashion. People aren't on Facebook and twitter to get the news, so make sure you're delivering much more than just information. Inside tips regarding your industry, how-to forums and anything else you think has relevancy to your brand, and your future clients is a great place to start. Even sparking up conversations on your social media networks about non-related things such as your favorite restaurant in town or favorite recipe {although not business specific} these personable touches might allow you to engage someone that wouldn't have normally read your post. Relationship building is key, especially on twitter, once that is established then you can educate.
A company Facebook page with a daily discussion board, lots of fan feedback and comments with only 100 likes is much more beneficial than a page with 1,000 likes that is never updated and who's fans are never present on the page. Quality verse quantity is key, but of course the holy grail is to have both---a huge fan base and also a very interactive group of fans that are constantly liking, checking in and status sharing. If you've reached that, you can sit back and relax because your social media is now at 100%-NOT! No matter how many fans you have or how great your page interaction is you have to constantly press on. When we sit back and become complacent is when competitors sweep in. Besides, of all the things we do at the office on a day to day basis, I think we can all agree social media is one of the most entertaining tasks on our to-do list.
There are several websites out there now that charge a small nominal fee to allow you to manage your social media sites all from one website. Examples such as Hootsuite, Ping.fm and so on. This can save you time by seeing all your pages at once and posting to all of them at one time. If you haven't looked into these sources definitely do so as it could revolutionize the amount of time you spend weekly on for social media. Another website becoming increasingly popular is Klout it manages your sites and actually gives you a rating on how relevant your posts are to your followers. This can be a great tool to measure how big of an impact you are making to possible consumers and colleagues alike. I hope this blog was helpful and you are able to take some techniques and take your social media management to the next level.
Happy tweeting, Facebook posting, checking-in, photo sharing, pinning and the list goes on and on!
Photo credits of vabulous.com