You know that marketing with social media is important, but getting started or even maintaining a social feed can be fairly daunting. Here are a few tips that will help get you on the right track to using social media to boost your bottom line.
1. Connect with Your Customers
Define who your customer is, then find out where they go for news and to network. Are they on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or somewhere else? With more than 200 social media sites now available, it is important not to spread yourself too thin. Focus on the avenues that are going to reach the majority of your clients to ensure your dollars are well spent.
2. Educate Yourself
Once you decide which social media outlets to peruse, be sure to educate yourself on each site’s etiquette and how to best connect with customers before jumping in. For instance, Facebook fans don’t want to see your business plastered all over their timeline, so one or two posts a week may be sufficient. Twitter, on the other hand, requires a lot more sharing to ensure your information makes it in front of your customers. Read up on news articles, books, and websites to make sure you are prepared to start interacting with your customers.
3. Assign a Social Media Manager
Engaging in social media is not something you can just spend a few minutes a week doing and expect bottom-line boosting results. Aassigning a specific employee to manage your accounts and allocating several hours a week to networking will ensure you stay connected. Responding to customers’ comments and questions quickly is extremely important to maintain a positive connection.
4. Create Engagement
Engage your customers by providing information that they want to share with their colleagues, friends, and networks. Before posting, ask yourself: Is it educational? Is it interesting? Is it fun? Will my followers want to share it? The information you share does not necessarily have to be about your business. In fact, content that is shared most often is not about the specific business.
5. Offer Incentives
Surveys have shown that customers respond more to special promotions and discounts than informational posts. Don’t be afraid to offer incentives on social media sites to draw in business and to reward customers. This gives them a reason to maintain a social media relationship with you that truly benefits them.