Photo by Hamed Saber on Flickr (Creative Commons BY)
Post by Megan Totka
ChamberofCommerce.com
It seems like every small business understands the power of social media marketing – 99 percent of marketers feel social media is a crucial part of their communication campaigns according to a recent report by Regalix. In order to maximize your social media marketing campaign, it’s essential that you grasp its fundamentals.
Take a look at these seven rules that allow you to best serve your customers and develop your brand.
Home in on your area of expertise
1It’s smarter to go ahead and focus on your area of expertise instead of attempting to unsuccessfully be a jack-of-all-trades. Sometimes it’s tricky to find ideas to keep your social media fresh – ideas for content don’t always appear out of thin air. However, instead of caving and falling victim to a strategy that attempts to know everything about everything, build a strong brand though a highly specified social media and content marketing strategy.
Never underestimate the importance of influencers
2Time spent online searching for influencers in your market is time well spent. Look for online influencers who are likely to be interested in your business and its offerings. Take the time to connect with them and build relationships. If you can prove yourself as a wealth of information, they just might share your content with their own followers. This could place you and your business in front of a lot of new prospective customers.
Remember to reciprocate
3If you want others to share your content and spread the word about your business, you need to do the same for them. As you divvy up your time on social media, section out adequate time to focus on sharing content published by other people if you expect them to do the same for you.
Acknowledge every single person
4If someone inquires about your business in person, you should respond. So don’t ignore people who reach out to you via the Internet. Relationship building is one of the keys to social media marketing success, so make sure you acknowledge and answer questions when people approach you online.
Add value to every conversation
5Stop spending all of your time directly promoting your business because eventually people will stop listening. Think about why you like social media. Is it because you enjoy reading valuable content and developing relationships? I’d guess the answer is yes. Refocus your strategy and focus more on adding value and connecting people who would normally not reach each other. This will, sooner or later, turn people into believers.
Show your passion socially
6To get your business into the hearts of your target audience, you need to incorporate a purpose beyond making money. Your customers become your advocates when you show the passion behind your business. Whether your goal is to give back to the customers and community, make it known on social media and your business can win.
Understand what customers crave
7Curious how the most powerful brands use social media? They know that in order to market successfully on social media, it’s crucial to pay attention to the constantly evolving needs of your consumer. Turn yourself into a forward-thinking businessperson and figure out what images resonate with the audience. Share news and articles that increase awareness. Give your customers what they crave.
There comes a time when every business wants to energize its social media marketing strategies. Effective marketing requires that you are always learning more about your niche.
What rules of social media do you think are essential to empower and grow your business?
This is awesome! Thank you, Megan!