Simple Social Media Marketing
When baby boomers are starting to show an interest in the internet, just to connect with old friends and stay in touch with family, then you know that social networking can – or is – becoming an important part of how the modern world works.
Personally, I come from the generation where social media is natural. It has evolved, of course, from Yahoo! Chat & Email to Instant Messaging… and now it is Tweets and Wall Posts dominating the way we communicate with others. Connecting with others through social media is convenient and there is nothing wrong with that. (That is, just as long as you don’t neglect “real world” interactions.)
However, there is another perspective to Social Media which can be damaging if used improperly. Of course I am talking about social media marketing, or using social networks to promote a brand, product/service, event, or an organization.
Social Media Marketing Is Powerful… And That Can Go Either Way.
It is very effective to use social media for marketing purposes, and there is good reason why “everyone is doing it.” Yet so many are doing it wrong… and you may be making the same mistakes.
The first question I ask a client regarding social media is “Do you use it personally?” followed by “How do you use it?”
Most who do use social networking for personal use, but not professional, use it to stay in touch with friends and family. Any interest in utilizing social media for networking is something that most clients wish to do separately, and that is perfectly understandable. In fact, that is the first point I touch on about social media marketing.
You Never Want To Spam Your Friends & Family…
So why would you want to spam total strangers who might be your customers? The use of social media as a marketing tool should be handled carefully, because the thing you are promoting is your brand, and the modern world has a very low tolerance for self serving promotions. This is why a Facebook Page is not likely to gain exposure or reach as many leads as it could, if all it does is promote, promote, and promote. (That’s called spam and quickly results in being blocked, un-followed, or un-liked!)
My advice to clients, and anybody reading this article, is to wait until you have developed an effective branding strategy. Most small businesses try so hard to do the advertising, and the marketing, but neglect the single most important step: branding. If you already have an effective brand, then this should already create the guidelines to follow for social media marketing.
Another thing to know about social media is that Facebook is taking over the world. Literally! Have you read about the Facebook Open Graph yet? It can be a daunting task to maintain multiple social networks, and it’s not necessary because LinkedIn and Twitter will soon fall into the graveyard, buried next to Myspace. Simplify your life and focus on Facebook for your social media networking campaign.
To make it even easier, here are some general tips for using Facebook to your advantage without producing spam:
A Facebook Page is similar to a Facebook Profile, but you can create as many pages as you like. It is possible to keep Personal and Professional lives from crossing, without needing to create a second profile. It takes more work to maintain two profiles anyways, so why would you want to?
There are several tabs, tools, and apps you can use on Facebook. Use the tools most appropriate for the Purpose of your Facebook Page, and get rid of the rest. (Example: Events, Photos, Videos, Links, Discussion, etc.)
A general guideline I use for maintaining professional networking is to post 5 updates each day.
- Of these, only one post should be self-promotional. The other posts should be:
- a relevant discussion starter (such as a question),
- a response to an update posted by somebody else,
- an appropriate joke or an inspirational quote,
- and a comment regarding a “hot” topic (such as a popular news story) that is appealing to your target audience.
If you want more tips on how to effectively utilize social media marketing without producing spam and compromising the credibility of your brand, please Contact Caryn. Caryn is a Creative Consultant with Custom Marketing Words, specializing in Copywriting, Internet Marketing, and Web Management for businesses, organizations, and individuals in the Finger Lakes. If you need help transforming an underperforming website into a powerful medium to increase traffic and conversion rates, but would rather do it yourself, don’t forget to ask about the Website Inspection Report!
[...] Social media marketing is becoming a big trend for businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes, but the slightest mistake made during a social networking campaign could be permanently damaging to your brand. There are a number of social media classes, courses, and seminars available to receive training on how to effectively utilize sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to network, market, and promote. Unfortunately, these options are very one sided… and lack the personal attention it takes to get all of the solutions for your unique challenges. [...]