This morning, I received a request for 10 tips for Social Media Marketing Success. While there are many, many moving parts and variables to consider when creating your Social Marketing plan, here are 10 tips to ensure your success:
1. Define your goals
Filling concert seats is very different goal from becoming a go-to person in your industry and requires a very different approach. Being clear about your goals is key to meeting them!
2. Identify your target audience
Knowing who you are trying to reach is vital. Throwing your message out, to be caught by whoever may be searching on your keywords can work but is not a great plan. Understanding who you want to reach will help define the type of content you will create and share.
3. Understand where you target audience spends their time on social media
Again, you can just throw your info out there but ideally, creating content of interest to your target audience and then posting it where they will find it, will be more effective! Identify a few key sites and communities and focus there. And keep in mind that it is better to be active on one site than have multiple profiles that are unmonitored.
4. Establish a presence on those key sites
Create a full profile on the key sites you have identified – including links back to your website, how to reach you, etc.
5. Have a plan
Remember, you want to create content your community will find valuable and ‘share worthy’. Posting this type of content on a regular basis takes some work. And it only gets harder as you get busier. Having a plan will help ensure that you follow through on your efforts, even when life gets in the way.
6. Add value
Using Social Media for business does not mean you are only ‘advertising’ your products or services – try to add value to industry conversations and contribute to your community.
7. Engage and be an active member of the communities you create and those in your industry
In addition to posting regularly, be sure to ‘like’, share and comment on other’s posts as well
8. Remember: Who you follow + Who follows you = your online experience
Be careful who you follow, like and link to and try to create a community of people that will actively participate, comment and share your posts.
9. Have patience
Building and nurturing quality communities will take time.
10. Give it at least 6 months to a year and then review and revise as necessary
Once you have been active on social media for a while, you will get a better feel for how it works and most importantly, if you are reaching your target audience.
Contact me for assistance to ensure YOUR Social Media Marketing Success!
