If you have a business, your customers are usually on a social media site. You should make sure your company is also on one or more of these social media sites. If you fail to do market research to determine which social media platforms your customers use and market to them on those platforms, you are neglecting a potentially lucrative revenue stream.
Don’t rush into just any strategy that looks good, but instead carefully consider the level of marketing that will genuinely benefit your business. If you spend your time and effort on one social marketing strategy, only to switch to the next latest technique, you will wind up at a dead end every time. Lay out your strategy before you make any commitments and include every avenue of marketing you wish to use.
Update your social media site often. People who use social media sites thrive on constant streams of information, so failing to update frequently will quickly lose you followers. Make sure your social networking sites are updated a few times each week.
Social media can help you create user-friendly storefronts. While it’s important to have an independent website, having a Facebook store that is easily accessible can also attract consumers to your brand. People who use Facebook a lot click around people’s profiles, which means they might see your product selection without even visiting your main website. This can let them have easier access to your products, without making them leave Facebook and go to your site.
Get a popular blogger to write on your website or you can guest blog somewhere else. This can help bring more traffic your way. Whenever you decide to guest blog on someone’s site, always include links that go back to your own site. Do the same if you have guest bloggers. The other blogger’s readers are probably going to come and check you out.
It is always best to remain humble through your social media messages. Customers tend to be put-off by posts that carry an arrogant or conceded tone, regardless of your company size. You must keep your customers happy! Your success depends on them.
Keep in mind that you need to be active in your social media marketing efforts. You need to be seen if you want anyone to follow your profile. Your SMM campaign will lose interest quickly if it is not kept up to date through active social posts. Consider linking a blog to your social media sites so that new information is constantly available for your followers.
You should put your email and social media marketing together. Include a Facebook or a Twitter button at the bottom of your emails and explain that you will answer your customers’ questions personally on these websites. This is also a great place to encourage users to join onto your newsletter.
Answer questions and reply to comments on social media marketing websites. Make sure you log in two times a day and read your messages and notifications. Quick, accurate responses will gain you a good online reputation so allow yourself to be alert whenever a comment is left. Never forget that your comments are public and can be seen by everyone.
Include the names of influential users of Twitter by name-dropping with an “@” symbol preceding the name. Users are notified of your post; many will re-tweet the message and respond soon thereafter.
Each time you share a video on a site like YouTube, take the time to create a good title. Add strong keywords to your titles so your videos are easier to find. Keywords that accurately represent your content can help get viewers to your sites more easily.
When participating on a social network, reciprocal communication is required. One customer posting a suggestion probably represents many others who would agree with the comment. Also, it shows that you are taking their opinions into consideration.
Research has shown that people are more likely to see your social media content during business hours throughout the workweek. You can employ tools that will assist in providing automatic updates to your various social media sites, posted at a designated time, that way you can create new posts as time permits.
If you’re marketing your company’s products or services through a social marketing site, don’t share anything that won’t intrigue or interest your followers. Don’t share every item in your inventory, just because you can. Choose those things you do share based on how well you think others will receive the information. For example, aim to provide exciting and interesting products, tips, etc., and always make sure what you share is factual. Make it something that people want to hear about. On a similar note, you should steer clear of quizzes and surveys that provide nothing of value to your page visitors.
Let your followers know of some of the accomplishments your business has earned. This may seem odd, but some people like to see your social credentials before they will feel comfortable interacting with you. You should blog about these friends and share them on Facebook and Twitter. Share a link that will give them more info, or come up with a contest to thank your customers.
Sharing content whenever possible is recommended. Post quality articles to your social network profiles. Consider putting content on some sites such as HubPages or Associate Content using your name. If you are not skilled at writing quality content, hire someone to do it for you. You can also use previously posted content.
You can place your Facebook review page on your website or your Facebook profile. By using a tool like this, your followers can write their own reviews about your site and services. Go through these reviews and get rid of the negative ones. You might even want to create a contest to encourage followers to review your business.
Social media is currently an important part of many business marketing efforts. You can engage any customer one-on-one, speak to the masses and tailor everything the world knows about your business all in one easy to use and cost effective place. You are sure to be pleased with the power of social media.