Although everything has been said about it, one gets still surprised by the number of people who have no clear idea about social media marketing. The only thing that people are starting to realize is that it is not a walk in the park to initiate a social media campaign. A good and effective social marketing offensive is definitely as complex as any other media advertisement campaigns.
Primarily, it is not about commercial campaigning, but sustained presence. This leads to new contacts and new opportunities for companies, as well as strengthening their existing customer relationships and branding effects. The following 9 tips for successful social media marketing may contribute to a better understanding.
1. Stay on Top and Update Regularly!
One of the most common mistakes is that businesses euphorically build their profiles on any given platform, are thrilled by how many people “like” it or follow them, and then turn around and concentrate on other things which seem more important at the time, apparently without realizing what kind of damage they do to their reputation and their brands. You don’t have to write a new blog post every single day, but I think it is not too much to ask to update your status on Facebook, Twitter & Co. on a daily basis.
People fail to realize that these messages are the foundation of their relationships in the social networks and that they leave an impact on potential customers who may visit the profile in order to gain an impression of the provider. Irregular or infrequent updated profiles may indicate unreliability or inactivity. And never forget that your competition is just a click away, waiting to convert these potential customers into regular clients.
2. Do Not Pitch!
As already mentioned before, social media is about building relationships and not about troubling some random contact with your newest business idea. Direct advertising is frowned upon and how you get in touch with someone has also something to do with respect. Not everyone who is interested has an immediate requirement but may keep you in mind for future projects. A pitch in social media is totally inappropriate and destroys more than it could ever achieve.
3. Communicate!
You don’t have to comment on every single post or respond to everything which is being said on your profiles. But to turn a blind eye also doesn’t cut it. It’s like in the real world; How can we possibly come in contact with somebody without communicating?
Get involved, reply to comments (where it seems appropriate), contribute to some interesting discussions if you have something to say and time permits.
4. Think, Then Post!
What you write on the Internet is public and it will be there forever. Keep this always in the back of your head before you post something instead spontaneously posting everything which crosses your mind.
5. Handle Criticism with Style!
We all have a bad day every now and then and it will happen that somebody posts something negative on your profile. Let it be there and do not delete it! Unless there is something you have to correct, simply ignore it.
One should also remember that everyone makes mistakes and not every criticism is unjustified or undeserved. React to legitimate criticism with humility and merely explain your position, OK?
If there are several critical comments, it is not necessary to respond to every single one individually. Give a well thought-through general statement and show your followers that you really care about them. And then, and that’s really important, analyze what mistakes you made to prevent them in the future.
6. Link other Content!
Rather than always to post your own content, you can and should also link to post created by others. However, the problem remains that you have to consider first whether the post is relevant. The posting you consider to link on you pages must be related to your own sphere of expertise as well as relevant to your audience. Prevent to be perceived as just another “Retweeter”.
7. Do not just share Business Content!
There is no reason to hide the human side of your company, to the contrary! Is there a BBQ or something extraordinary in everyday life which was photographed or filmed by your employees? Publish it! Such content always conveys a positive image.
8. Set a Weekly Trend
To share something once a week at a given time will set a trend that will be rapidly picked up by your followers. This could be for example a specific content or an “offer of the week” if you run a retail establishment. Trends always spread and will bring traffic and increase customer loyalty.
9. Guide People to Your Profiles!
It’s great to promote yourself through social media but it shouldn’t stop there. It is equally important to draw attention to your platform from the outside. A great way to do this is to create an e-mail signature with direct links or to put QR-Codes on letterheads and business cards. There is also nothing to be said against a “like us” link on your website.