Businesses today face two choices: engage with social media or get left behind. In today’s hyper-connected world the line between brand and customer is blurred, presenting great opportunities for the social media savvy.
Over 25% of all time spent online in America is now spent using social media. That’s amazing! Whether your business is a one-person operation or a budding startup with over 500 employees, you’ve got to know how to use social to your advantage. The tricky part is that each company has (or should have) a social marketing plan unique to that business. So, is your business maximizing its social media potential?
Are You as Focused as You Should Be?
The number one mistake businesses make when engaging with customers via social media is to try to be everywhere at once. The more places your brand shows up the better, right? Not exactly. In the world of social, your brand’s presence is only benefitting the company when it’s active, engaging, and interesting. Everything else is just noise. Particularly if you have limited resources to dedicate to social media management, choose two mediums (i.e. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and make those a priority. Your brand will be more focused and you won’t waste time spreading yourself thin.
Is Social Marketing Part of Your Daily Calendar?
Yes, daily. In a world of smart phones, tablets, and round-the-clock news, an hour can be a day in business time. Studies show over 56% of Facebook users check their accounts at least once a day.The whole point of social media is that you can interact quickly and with relevance – all those benefits go out the window when you’re only checking your efforts twice a week. Make a daily goal to spend at least half an hour posting, answering messages, and seeing what your competitors are up to in the social media sphere.
Are You Putting Out Quality Content?
Over the last few years, social media has become a news source for many people, including your customers. The best thing you can do to build overall confidence and loyalty in your brand is to regularly provide your followers/friends/connections with free, useful content. Regular blog posts are a great start, but don’t stop there. Share business-related articles you find interesting or provide industry-specific tips. Part of what your customers want to pay you for is your expertise. Show them you have it.
Do You Interact With Other Social Media Users?
It’s easy to get sucked into a cycle. “Post, Retweet, accept, accept, Like, Post…” You should be spending at least a third of your time on social media platforms actually being social. Talk to your customers, directly answer questions they have, and friend, follow, or endorse other like-minded businesses. Remember that new business doesn’t only come from one direction. The more faces you put your social media presence in front of the better chance you have of building recognition; over 50% of all shoppers say they’ve made a purchase based on a social media recommendation. Always remember to stay professional!
Social media is a powerful marketing tool and when used correctly can make a world of difference for your business. Like any other promotional platform, however, social takes significant investment before it pays off. The good news is, the investment you need to make is time, not money. Ask yourself, “Am I doing enough with my company’s social marketing efforts?”
This guest article was written by Heather on behalf or BizShark, a business information platform.
