As a small business owner, the idea of social media marketing can appear intimidating or overwhelming. Many businesses dive right in and try to do everything at once. Unfortunately this approach can end in frustration and lack of results.
Fortunately, there are a few tips that can keep your social media strategy on track and keep your business focused on results.
Focused intensity gets results. It's easy to get caught up in the hype of all the social networking and marketing opportunities out there. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, the list goes on forever. There's no way you can be manage all the social media platforms at once. But by picking one or two and focusing your efforts on them, you will start to see results much more quickly.
Personality draws an audience . Many businesses set up their social media profiles as a professional entity and try to remain professional with all interaction. That's great if you're a fortune 500 company, but small to mid-size businesses need to let their personalities show through. People connect with real people. The more genuine your company appears in its online interaction, the more people will connect with your brand. Letting them see the personal side of your business helps them feel more comfortable interacting with you, your brand, and the business as a whole.
Sell, Sell, Sell! No, wait - Don't, Don't, Don't! Don't make the mistake of using your social media platform(s) to constantly sell or push your products. Nothing will turn your audience off faster than spammy ads all day, every day. In fact, if you want to guarantee your audience will never buy from you, just use your online profile as an in-your-face selling machine. If you want to keep your audience and grow your fan base, however, keep your direct selling and promotions to no more than 25% of your total social media interaction.
Selflessly promote... others. It sounds counterintuitive to promote someone else in order to see results with your social media marketing efforts. Won't that send people away from your website or social networking site? For a short time, maybe. But when your audience sees you selflessly promoting, they'll notice that you're not selling yourself. And when the business or person you're promoting notices, they'll be inclined to return the favor. Receiving praise from another business with a different audience means more exposure for your business.
Following these simple tips will help your business avoid the common pitfalls of social media marketing and gain traction with your online marketing efforts. More traction means less frustration, better results, and more time to focus on the other areas of your business that go hand-in-hand with your marketing plan.
