How to become more effective with your social media efforts
I do a lot of work with small businesses and professionals who know they want to get involved with social media, but simply feel they don’t have enough time in their day to get involved. Furthermore, they feel that they don’t see a lot of return once they get going. After doing some digging I find that most businesses are suffering because they leave their social media efforts for the internet only. The only way to truly be successful with social media is to fully integrate it into your business.
Set Social Media Goals
Before diving in to social media it’s important to set goals. Are you trying to drive more Likes and followers, are you looking for more engagement, are you looking to drive more traffic to your site – what is your overall objective? Once this is established you should be able to start identifying what it is you need to do on a day-to-day basis to reach your goals.
Plotting The Points On Your Day-to-day Roadmap
Whether working with a designated community manager, or delegating tasks to a member of your staff, it’s important to map out the steps the person should take each day. Whether it’s established in a detailed outline, or a simple checklist, always make sure the person handling your social media efforts has clear direction to work from. Some core efforts that should be part of any daily social media strategy are:
- Check and reply to blog comments
- Scan industry news sources for content you can share or build upon
- Check and respond to messages on social media websites
Remember your daily roadmap should have your social media goals in mind. Make sure that the tasks outlined are oriented towards those goals so that you aren’t spending what little time you have for social media focused on the wrong objectives.
Making Social Media Part Of Your Business
Whether you’re handling your social media alone, or are delegating it to another employee, it’s important to make sure everyone in your company is aware of your current social media initiatives. Those who interact with your clients or target audience most should be aware of contests, promotions, or other efforts that may be of interest to your client base. Encourage your employees to share information about your social media profiles to help drive new Likes and followers, after all, if people don’t know you’re online they aren’t going to Like or follow you. Make social media part of your conversations and encourage the people you interact with to continue the conversation online.
Other ways to make your business more social include:
- Adding signs with social media accounts in your business encouraging people to join the conversation online.
- Make social media promotion part of how you end phone calls, “Thanks for calling us today. Be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all our latest happenings.”
- Include social accounts in your email signatures. – If you use Gmail for your business, WiseStamp is a great tool for this.
You Won’t Reach Your Destination If You Don’t Start
Even if you or your employees aren’t able to handle social media on a daily basis, every other day or once a week is a start. Remember to keep your goals in mind and set enough time aside to address these goals on as needed. The main thing to recognize is that you can’t ignore your social media audience. The sooner you implement a regular strategy, the better off you and your business will be. If you’re not paying attention to your audience, some other business in your niche probably is.
Mike Wilton took his love for internet marketing and made it into an obsession. His passion for search engine optimization and social media is only rivaled by his passion for music. Mike is a Southern California SEO specializing in SEO, Local Search Optimization, and Social Media Marketing.
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True say about "If you’re not paying attention to your audience, some other business in your niche probably is." Every business needs presence, and one way is though social media, and most probably majority of their customers are on these platforms, so why not connect with them, and build your brand, as if your not doing it, someone else is.
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