Social media has dramatically impacted the way that we do communicate with our customers and prospects. This game is now, more than ever – survival of the fittest and in order to compete we need to realise the importance of having a social media presence. More and more we are seeing how small businesses are successfully using social media to grow their customer base and build their brands online. By leveraging the power of social media, we now have the ability to realise more success than ever before. We now have the tools and resources to play in this game – and win. My top 5 social media marketing tips for small business outlines the best ways that I have found to start using social media to help grow your business.
1. Have a plan in mind for your social media presence.
Social media isn’t just a conversation. It’s where the party takes place. Having a social media strategy is more about how you are going to be social and THEN…how you use the tools. So when planning, think about your social media presence like having a party where you are the host. Why are you having the party? Who are you going to invite? How are you going to entertain and engage them at the party? What are you going to do after the party?
2 Don’t be afraid of social media.
Don’t let the thought of this massive technology overwhelm you. Get into it! Get doing! Believe it or not, you can’t break it. Register for your social media sites. The best way to see success with social media – is to actually start using it. Test and learn & refine. I would recommend starting off with: Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, You can register for FREE! And get your party started.
3. Keep the party going.
A common problem that small businesses have is that they set up their facebook, youtube and twitter accounts and then they abandon the party! They don’t listen, mingle, offer finger food and canapés, update or put out any content that is engaging. No Videos, no photos, no status updates. What kind of party is that? Keep the pulse going so people can dance and interact. This is the whole point of social media. The interaction, the party.
4. Keep track of your party.
Check in, see how things are going and if things aren’t working – try something different. Facebook offers Facebook insights for Fan Pages enabling you to see demographic information, response rates and interaction with your post and much more. Don’t become too obsessed with the figures but realise the value of having such rich information available.
5. Be consistent even if it means getting some one to help you at the party.
Although your party will have peak times and low times when you post content, the key to social media marketing success – is consistency. Research suggest that 80% of people don’t proactively go back to the fan pages they “like”. This means that if you aren’t posting content regularly, you are not appearing in people’s feeds and hence, not top of mind. There are tools available to enable you to have multiple administrators to help you manage your social media so it doesn’t all have to be you attending to your party guest
So that’s my tips on how to hold a great social media par-tay. If you haven’t already – give them a go. There’s no reason you can’t try any of the tips and rock the house. ☺ Love it, hate it, just let me know you’re alive and leave a comment.
Love, peace and all things Social Media,
I love the simplicity with which you approach your blog posts. You make some great points that only aim to help. As far an #5 goes, people might be interested in fiverr.com if they haven’t already heard of it. There would be many people, like myself, willing to help keep up on social media type things…for only 5 bucks! 😀