For a social media marketing campaign to succeed and show any kind of measurable profit, it's important to develop a list with a sufficient number of targeted contacts. At the same time, most social experts will tell you that Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great forums for making connections…as long as you have a lot of time, a big budget, or a sizeable existing network.
For that reason, social media marketing can start to feel like a chicken-and-egg challenge – you can't profit from it until you have the following, and it's hard to build a following until you're profitable.
So, how are you supposed to make social sites work for you? Here are three quick tips to get you started:
1. Always be a quality leader within your industry. If you have the best products, and/or the best service, people are going to start saying good things about you. They'll spread the word on social media, of course, but also on blogs, review sites, etc.
2. Be a source of ideas, not just a vendor. You want every post, article, video, or other piece of content to be interesting, timely, and thought-provoking. Again, this doesn't just apply to social media, but also your blog, website, and other outlets.
3. Don't be just another “marketing voice.” Try to engage customers individually, or short of that, be sure to bring up topics they care about. Doing so separates you from the army of other businesses out there trying to win attention with minimal effort.
You'll notice that none of these tips is explicitly directed at attracting followers or shortening the amount of time it takes to develop a network. That's because, when you start to do them right, it doesn't really matter whether you begin on social media or elsewhere; you become a leader in the business, online and off, which makes all of your marketing efforts more effective in the process.
Need help crafting the right messages for your social media and Internet marketing? Call or e-mail a member of our team and hear how we can help.
