So, you own a business and everyone tells you, “You simply MUST use social media.” No problem, right? You have a basic website with your address and phone number, so you’ll just create a Facebook page and tell people to buy your product. Then, you’ll just repeat that post every week or so and people will come running. That sounds easy enough…not much time or effort involved. But will it actually help your business or just be a waste of time? Before you start your social media campaign, check out these five things you may not know:
- Social media is not about directly selling your product;. It’s about building a network. Your goal is name recognition – you want people to remember you.
- Social media takes time and effort. Building a social media campaign is like building any other marketing or advertising campaign – the occasional post about your product just won’t cut it. Create a posting schedule and stick with it. Also, get creative and post items that interest viewers. Go beyond your product and include interesting photos or videos. Images attract more viewers than pure text posts.
- Engage in more than one social media platform, but not necessarily all of them. If you’re in the travel business, Pinterest and Facebook are great places to post travel photos. If you’re in the software business, use your techie expertise to start a blog on your website. If you’re a recruiter, build a network on LinkedIn.
- Define your demographics – one size does not fit all in social media. Use Google Analytics to learn who is really viewing your site and to get demographic information about these people. Then tailor your posts to this market.
- Keep it personal and up-to-date. Write posts that are conversational and ask questions. Try to engage your viewers in discussions. Interact with them as if you’re talking face-to-face. Social media is timely, so create your content accordingly.
Social media not only helps you grow your business name recognition, but can give it personality as well. So jump in and embrace social media. It’s here to stay.
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