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The Top 10 "Do's" of Social Media Marketing
As social media marketing continues to grow in scale, becoming more user friendly for business owners, it’s becoming less of an “if” companies should execute a strategy for social media marketing. There’s no questions about it anymore. Your customers exist in social media across a vast number of networks. If the traditional marketing mantra of “go where your customers go” still holds true, then your business needs to make an effort to embrace social media marketing.
The question that stops most companies from using social media however is “how do we execute a strategy that produces results?” That’s a fair questions, given that there are so many businesses out there putting in all the effort, and getting nothing in return. If you want to find success with your foray into social media marketing then consider these 10 “Do’s” to help you put a killer strategy together.
Social Media Marketing Do #1 – Repurpose Content & Save Time
You don’t have to sit down and brainstorm the perfect topics, attempting to avoid anything that has ever been written before. You can save yourself a lot of time by repurposing old content (like newsletters and articles) or curating content from other sources that can be valuable to your target audiences.
Social Media Marketing Do #2 – Interaction is Key
Real interaction can be a tough cookie to crack for some business owners. You need to find the best balance between self promotion and intriguing content in order to keep your audience members engaged. Quality interaction means engaging in conversations and replying as much as it means starting them. A great start is to ask questions that inspire a response.
Social Media Marketing Do #3 – Try to Vary Your Media
Use different forms of media. Sometimes posting a few questions is great but customers like a little meat to content. If you want to increase how often your posts are shared then use infographics, video, images and even podcasts to improve your engagement.
Social Media Marketing Do #4 – Optimize Your Content
Most businesses operate without any plan in place for optimization, whether it’s their social media marketing or their website. You need optimize every page of content and every post you make if you want to be found. Making your content searchable ensures that people can actually find you, engage with you and give you a return on your investment in social media marketing.
Social Media Marketing Do #5 – Keep a Level Head
The last person you need is some random intern having a meltdown in the middle of your social media marketing campaign, flying off the handle at the first negative thing said about your brand. When you keep a level head during a poor review or nasty outburst from customers, and have a plan in place to deal with such incidents, people will have more respect for your brand. It shows a certain sense of class when it comes to customer service.
Social Media Marketing Do #6 – Customize for Different Audiences
Few businesses have only one target audience. You should tailor your various messages to include more than one target audience. Don’t write for one group all of the time, write for all the groups sometimes. Do your homework for your social media marketing and figure out how to speak to each audience, what they want to hear, etc.
Social Media Marketing Do #7 – Choose Your Brand Ambassador Carefully
A lot of companies have learned from their mistakes by letting random employees post to their social media. You don’t necessarily want to discourage interaction or stifle your team but you also want to make sure that the voice within your social media marketing is consistent, and works to further your goals and overall strategy.
Social Media Marketing Do #8 – What’s Your Purpose?
Remember the purpose behind your social media marketing. If you don’t keep your goals in sight it’s easy to get off track and start sharing content or making posts that don’t move you closer to your goals. Those actions often lead you away and reduce the return on your investment.
Social Media Marketing Do #9 – Measure Twice, Cut Once
Your strategy for social media marketing is important. Always remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well, so plan your approach to social media, engagement, posting, responding, etc.
Social Media Marketing Do #10 – Be Open to Innovation
You don’t need to be innovative or cutting edge in order to run a quality social media marketing campaign. With that said, you still need to have your eyes and ears open for the newest trends. Review your strategy regularly and figure out if changes in technology, software or the search and social landscape might make your social media marketing strategy easier to manage.
