First Steps into Social Media...Getting it Right

Time and again, when I ask the question, why are you venturing into using Social Media a frequent reply is, “Because everyone else is doing it.”

The thing is, it’s not a good reason and an unlikely one to score much success with your social media campaign.

Hence, it’s crucial you have a plan and some structure in place to make it all work –particularly if you are a small business owner strapped for time and resource.

Watch and Learn

In our coaching session together, the first part of our work is exploring what you’re hoping to achieve with Social Media other than simply using it because everyone else is. The reality for most businesses is it’s a desire to sell a product or service. So let’s assume we’ve covered the basics like who is going to manage your social media and the amount of time you can allocate to managing it, next is understanding your potential buyer. The question I’m going to ask you is,

Who is your targeted audience and which social media sites are they currently using?

Now for you, this means doing some research. Start by checking out your competitors. Take a look at their websites, find out the social media channels they’re using, and then see if the content they’re posting is engaging Fans or not. Watch and learn…and then aim to do better.

Content is King

So, now you know who your audience is, where they hang out and you’ve some idea of the type of content that works based on what you’ve learned. In another blog, I’m going to focus entirely on content, but for now keep this in mind:

Keep posts relevant, topical, and recent
Avoid becoming boring and mix up content with text, photos, and videos.
Have theme weeks
- e.g. the run up to Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, a trade show you’re exhibiting at, a seminar you’re presenting, or maybe your book launch

Get Fans Engaged

If Facebook is your chosen platform, don’t feel flattered by the number of ‘Likes’ you’ve gathered, focus instead on engagement levels. Regardless of Fan Page numbers, the average ‘organic’ engagement level is 2% – this is without using ads.

To boost organic engagement, ask questions like, ‘what do you think?,’ ‘would you agree?’ and use call to actions such as ‘share if you agree/loved this destination/want to see more of this.’ And whatever you do, when a Fan posts a comment, always respond online. If you don’t, you will be judged to ignore fans which is an excellent way of sending them off to your competitors.

Plan and Strategise

I hope the above will act as a starting point for you in developing a strategy for your online marketing and putting a plan with goals in place. Having a plan in place will keep you accountable and increase your chances of success while also reducing the number of times you hit a slump and wonder, ‘what will I post today?’

Carole Smith, SynNeo