Your social media strategy

It is important to have a social media strategy. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes random, unpredictable and pointless.

Begin with objectives

Decide what your social media objectives are. To raise brand awareness? To generate more traffic to your website? To build your email marketing opt-in list? To get sales enquiries? To generate sales?

Choose your platforms

Then choose the social media platforms you are going to use regularly. For example:

Twitter

www.twitter.com/marketingcmpass
Because it is quick to use and can generate virtual conversations with customers (which can turn into telephone or face to face conversations). Several of my clients have told me recently that ‘Twitter is good for B2B (Business to Business) marketing.”

You will get more Twitter followers if you follow more people, on a regular basis. Post at least 6 Tweets and day and respond to questions and mentions quickly. Keep a close watch on @Connect …which you will see towards the top of the Twitter screen. Scroll down for some more Twitter tips..

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/The-Marketing-Compass
Particularly effective for B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing, which is why most of the world’s leading brands are to be found there. Research has shown that one of the key reasons that consumers follow brands within the social media, is to get their hands on special offers.

Google+

https://plus.google.com/107706691993902859678
This is Google’s answer to Facebook (there are numerous features which set them apart). For example, if you use GMail, if the person you are emailing is on Google+ then an image of them appears on the right hand side of your screen and you can choose to instantly follow them, which I find useful.

LinkedIn

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/nigeltemple
LinkedIn can be a highly effective way of connecting with business owners and corporate decision makers. The more connections you have, the wider access you will gain to the LinkedIn community.

Whichever platforms you choose, it is important to login to them every day and check to see what is going on. You need to respond to connection requests, answer questions and post something. As in other forms of networking, it is important to ‘turn up’ on a regular basis.

Give people reasons to visit your website

Provide your social media followers with interesting, useful and helpful content – both within the social media platforms and also within your website. You can do this much more easily, if you have an easy to use CMS (Content Management System) such as WordPress. By the way, if would like to learn how to build your own WordPress website click here.

Measure your results

How many connections do you have? Is the trend going in the right direction? What is the impact on your SEO results (check via a stats service, such as Google Analytics). What is impact on awareness, sales enquiries and sales?

How to improve your Twitter results:

1. Positioning. If you are using Twitter as part of your customer attraction strategy, think about your ‘Twitter positioning’. In other words, what do you stand for and how do you want to be seen by other Tweeters?

2. Who do you want to connect with? What are they interested in? What are they searching for?

3. Be a Giver. People will follow you if you have something to give them. For example, helpful, useful and interesting tips and ideas.

4. People first, business second. Twitter is first and foremost a social network, so be sociable.

5. Reveal something about yourself. You are a unique and interesting human being. We want to know more about you.

6. Be helpful. Recommend other Tweeters. ReTweet interesting stuff. Answer questions. Connect people to each other.

7. Engage with other people, by joining in and becoming part of the conversation.

8. React now! Twitter works in ‘real time’. It is a continual flow of conversations, feedback, ideas and chit chat. Become part of the flow and react quickly to what’s going on in the Twitterverse.

9. Attract people to your website. Upload helpful, useful and interesting material to your site. From time to time, Tweet about this content and point your Twitter followers towards your site. Ask them to ReTweet (RT) these messages.

10. Commitment. Use Twitter regularly. As a benchmark, Tweet at least 6 times a day * gasp! *.

As always – if you have any questions on social media strategy – by all means ask within The Marketing Compass website.

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