Getting the Most Out of Your Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has been the hot topic for small business owners and large corporations alike for the past few years. The rapid growth of facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other platforms has opened the door to potential customers and lured many to the uncharted waters of using social media to build business. But how to make use of these opportunities can be the hardest question to answer. According to Sonia Simone of copyblogger.com, there are 7 essential elements to make your social media marketing for effective.

     1.  Get your website or blog set up - Your home page is where you control the user's experience and where your authority in your field comes through. Build a site full of high quality content that has a clean design and a professional appearance. This is where customers will go to get tips and more information about you and your business.

     

     2.  Establish a human face for your business - You need a human face to make your social media marketing plan work. While you want the content of your posts to be friendly and inviting, you do not need to share everything about the "real" you on your business accounts. Keep your updates to authentic subjects that relate back to your core mission as a business and be sure and consider your audience before hitting that final post button.

     3.  Combine efforts with other businesses that appeal to your customers - A big part of social media is getting people with like interests together to share ideas and thoughts. You can seek out established bloggers and posters to share your content with. Building on and promoting their content could help you cultivate important professional relationships and win new customers.

     4.  Pick a primary platform to use - Your customer base and product will drive this choice, and it may not be the one you personally enjoy using the most. If you are selling a service or product that has an easily visualized end result, Pinterest might be a fantastic choice for you. But if most of your customers are active on facebook, your initial efforts should center on that platform. Once you've masted one, then move on to others. Don't overwhelm yourself at the beginning.

     5.  Manage your time - Decide up front how much time you want to devote to social media, otherwise you may be seduced in to wasting your productivity constantly checking and rechecking your platforms. Remember element 1, your home page, and that this is where the majority of your time and effort should go. You can contract with support specialists like Administrative Business Consulting to manage your social media program. They will create a set number of monthly posts on a contract basis and take this task off your plate.

     6.  Put Content first and conversations second - While social media provides a way to have on-going conversations with customers and potential customers, but you can end up spending hours a day chatting with no real productivity. It is important to keep an ear on what customers are saying, but if it feels like goofing off it probably is. Spend the majority of your time on content with value.

     7.  Don't forget about your Search Engine Optimization - Social media marketing is a complement to search engine optimization, not a replacement for it.