Twitter has over 16 million users. 42.3% of the entire American population is on Facebook. And YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world. The bottom line is that your target audience is almost certainly using social media to engage with the products and services they love.
Despite all that, it can be challenging to figure out how to get started in social media and, more importantly, how to make sure your efforts are effective.
With that in mind, here are 5 tips that will help you succeed no matter what social-networking site you apply them to.
1. Commit resources & time with the intention of succeeding, not just experimenting. Look at social media as an opportunity cost. You’ll get out of it what you invest. So, by carving out the time for strategic implementation, you’ll be able to take advantage of the benefits social media has to offer. As technology continually changes, it is also important to have ongoing training for employees in order to keep them on track and up-to-date with the newest information available.
If you're trying to use social media to make an impact on your business, plan on devoting 25% to 50% of a full-time employee's time to your efforts. Devoting any less time is the equivalent of trying to put out a house fire with a garden hose.
2. Take advantage of the “social” part of social media, which is its most vital component. The marketing landscape no longer consists of simply talking to consumers. Your customers now expect a mutual interaction in which they can talk with you as well. By doing so, you can find out exactly what they require and what their concerns are. If a customer has something negative to say about your brand, do not delete it and certainly don’t ignore it. Be sure to listen to their point of view and make it into a conversation. After all, you are supposed to be social, right?
3. Engage in a wider conversation. It’s important to communicate information about your product or service to your audience, but it’s also okay to share news stories, blogs, and other relevant information that doesn’t necessarily point to your blog, your products or your company. Social media is popular because it enables people to find and share information that they value. The key is that you become valuable by sharing useful content.
4. Understand that you no longer control the message because once information or media is available on the social web, it is at the hands of the general population. Encourage participation, feedback, comments, and discussion, especially from major influencers online. Influencers are those who have large-sized online networks and can help to effectively spread your message while also activating others to do so. Although you may not be able to control the messages, you can at least keep track of them. Check out our article 7 Free Tools to Help You Monitor Your Online Reputation.
5. If you don’t at first succeed … keep trying. If you’re not getting the results you want, try new ways to engage your intended audience. The web makes it easy to recreate your message and try new social media marketing strategies. If you find yourself in need of some help, check out 30 Brilliant Social Media Marketing Tips From 2011.
The Take Away: Remember that every engagement either reinforces or takes away from the brand experience, so learn everything you can, apply what you need, and continue putting in the effort. When it comes to social media you certainly get what you give.
Brittney Leigh Smith is a regular contributor and marketing analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.
