Social media is a wonderful thing. It enables us to connect with people anywhere in the world. It's powerful. It's instant. And from a marketing perspective, it's reach is broad…our postings and thoughts are read by many. But as with anything that has that much power…it can be a friend or a foe.
Have you really thought through your online social media strategy?
Facebook, Twitter, Linked In….the list goes on. Personally, I feel quite exhausted just thinking about the numerous social media opportunities.
However if you are using social media to promote your business you must treat it the same as any other marketing that you do…it must be planned and executed with the same degree of care that you would put into writing a new brochure or website.
One of the big positives about social media (and on the flip side….a danger) is how instant your message is. This means that there is no room for error.
I've put together some questions for you to answer to ensure that social media is your friend. As with any marketing initiative you must ensure that you think through what you are doing.
1. What are your social media goals?
In order to invest your time and money in social media, you want to be clear about why you are doing it. The following questions will help you to get clear about your social media goals.
- Do you want to build your profile as an expert?
- Do you want to build trust in your business?
- Do you want to educate the market about your products and services?
- Do you want to attract prospects to your website?
- Do you want to grow your mailing list?
- Do you want to sell events, products or services?
- Do you want to build your resource network?
As with any marketing you need to be clear about who your target market is and use the social media tools that will be most effective in reaching them. It's not just about quantity…if you really want to stand out, your message needs to be quality.
3. Is the "branding" of your social media supportive of your business?
We spend thousands of dollars on our marketing brochures, websites, business cards and collateral. It's very important when you hop into the "online world" that you maintain consistent branding.
4. If you wouldn't say it offline, don't say it online.
One of the advantages of social media is that your message is instant. Please ensure before you put your words out into the online world that you have thought them through. I've seen some very unfortunate postings simply because the person didn't think through what they were posting. Remember…once it's posted, it's out there for a very long time.
5. Effort versus reward.
For some reason when we hop online the clock seems to speed up. It's so easy to lose yourself for hours online. Make sure that you limit your "online" time. It's all about managing your time effectively and ensuring that the effort you are putting in is worth the reward.
6. Are you the best person for the job?
Are you a social media expert? Is it the best use of your time to spend hours learning about the latest social media tools? Probably not. There are many professionals that can help you use social media effectively for your business. It's their job to stay up to date with the hundreds and thousands of changes that happen every day in "social media land." It's your job to run a great business. Delegate or outsource your social media marketing strategy and execution to an expert so that you can focus on your real job.
Social media can be an amazing friend for you and your business. I encourage you to make the most of the opportunities to promote your business. Just be smart and apply the same thought and planning that you would to any other marketing initiative.
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