Using social media for business is the new shiny thing in the world of marketing. And, there’s no shortage of social media marketing experts ready to tell you how it will transform your business. The only thing is, very few businesses are using social networking effectively. Therefore, few are getting any kind of return for the money they spend on marketing in social media.
One thing is for sure, the opportunity to grow your business using social media is immense. It can amplify your marketing message. And, the fact that social networks hold so much information about you means that you can reach potential customers with ease. If you know how to use it effectively!
Choosing Networks When Using Social Media for Business
It can be very confusing deciding which social media channel or channels you should use. There always seems to be a new one popping up every now and then. This adds to the list of social media sites to choose from for marketing your business brand, products and services.
You have the usual suspects like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google Plus. There are also the likes of Pintrest and Instagram, both famous as visual social media sites. Social network experts advise the following for deciding which networks to use when using social media for business:
- Use one or two social media sites that you can manage effectively.
- Choose social networks where your potential customers are already hanging out.
11 Tips for Marketing Your Social Media Network Channels
Here are 11 social media marketing tips to help you get the most out of the social channels you choose:
- Tell customers which channels you use and why to follow you. For example, tell your email subscribers you have a new Facebook page where you will be posting exclusive offers and content there. You basically, have to give them a reason why they should like or follow you.
- Advertise the channels wherever you can. Make sure there is a trail back to your favorite channels on all marketing materials, email signatures, website or anywhere else you market your business. This is very important when using social media for business marketing purposes.
- Brand the channels. Make sure the channels are branded consistently with colors schemes and logos so your company is instantly recognizable to your customers irrespective of the channel they are on.
Image Source: business2community.com - Showcase your skills. On your profile imagery make sure you show off what you can do. Before and after pictures work really well as they place and emotional aspect on the services you offer.
- Post Frequently. This is necessary to get engagement and to build your audience. Posting throughout the day is a good strategy. Planning out your posts in advance makes it easier to post quality, relevant content when using social media for business.
- Be interesting. You could also be funny or just provide useful information to your target audience. Just make sure that your content marketing strategy involves publishing content that piques the interests of your target audience, also known as your potential customers.
- Asking questions builds engagement. Posting statements loses the motivation to interact with the post. Asking questions of your followers will encourage engagement. So you might say, “This is today’s free diet tip.” But, you could get better engagement by posting ,”This is today’s free diet tip. What is your favorite diet meal?”
- Answer people’s comments. This builds up the sense that the page is being managed and builds a rapport with your followers. You also don’t want to give your audience the impression that you don’t care about their needs.
- Always post with pictures. Posts with images get far more interest and engagement than those without any type of visuals. Videos, memes and infographics also work well when using social media for business.
Image Credit: inblurbs.com - Set up your social media marketing channels to get leads. This is the most important part of all your efforts. Transforming a fan into and lead and then a customer requires you to get their contact details at some point. You can do this by offering some premium content in exchange for their email address or phone number. It could be a free ebook, video series, white paper or anything you feel your followers would like. Once you figure out how to send people to a page where they can sign up for something, you have the recipe for success.
- Advertise on Social Media. Here it is! Harnessing the demographic data social media advertising can reach can be the difference between a good business and a great business. For example, if you are a wedding bridal gown shop, you can advertise to any woman who is engaged within 10 miles of your shop. Now, how powerful is that?
Learn How to Use Social Networks to Market Your Business Online
Using these steps, you have a better chance of effective social media marketing making a difference for your business success. Using social media for business is not just the next buzz word or a big black whole for your time.
The best thing you can do is to take a course on the social media network channel you need to work with for online marketing. You can now take an online course at home, or take a social media marketing workshop near you. Either way, it will be a great investment if you plan on using social media for business.
Author Bio: Tim Tavender is a blogger and writer who has written for many magazines and newspapers. For more information related to this guide, you can visit Tim’s site where you’ll find details of courses you can take to further your knowledge of using social media for business.
