10 Ways to Make Social Media Work for Your Business

Making Social Media Work For Your BusinessKarla Graves

Why Social Media?Social media has changed the way business is conducted globally, nationally, and locally.

The customer is starting to discover goods and services via the digital social experiences they are creating for themselves.

With the right targeting, participation on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help support your business objectives.

ThenPretty WebsiteEasy Checkout ExperienceSearch Engine Optimization

NowPretty WebsiteEasy Checkout ExperienceSearch Engine OptimizationSocial Media PresenceDigital Advertising

10 ways social media can work for your business1. Promote your business – but not too much

2. Post job openings where talented people are looking

3. Add value to your follower’s interactions with you

4. Increase the number of ways potential customers can learn about your business

5. Network with others in your industry and within the communities you serve

10 ways social media can work for your business6. Facilitate referrals and reviews of your business

7. Quickly implement promotions

8. Check up on your competition

9. Help drive online traffic to your website

10. Track industry news and trends

Tip #1 – Promote your business – but not too muchUse the 80/20 rule - Only 20% of your content should be self-promotional. The remaining 80% should be informational and engaging, giving followers a reason to look for your posts.

Post Ideas• Quotes• Behind-the-scenes photos• Product photos• Ask for input• Share a helpful resource• Fan photos• A day in the life • Random tips and hints• Take a trip down memory lane• Profile an employee

Resource – Forbes article 100 Killer Ideas For Your Social Media Content

Tip #2 – Post job openings where talented people are lookingNewspaper ads are a thing of the past. Job seekers are now looking online, in a multitude of places, and for a number of reasons.

Using social media to find employees:

1. Find where potential employees areA. Join targeted groups

B. Advertise

2. Use your personal social media accounts, and enlist your workforce

3. Use #hashtags to filter searches - #jobpost, #employment, #recruiting, #hiring, #career

4. Social media is a two-way street

Jobmodo App on Facebook

Tip #3 – Add value to your follower’s interactions with youPeople will not return to your social pages unless they feel you add value to their lives. You can accomplish this in a number of ways.

Remember the 3 E’s!

1. EducationA. Teach your followers how to use your products/services

B. Direct them to resources outside of your business

2. EntertainmentA. Well executed humor that is consistent with your brand

strategy

3. EmotionA. “I’m cutting onions.”

Use your connections to your advantage. Utilize your online network to spread the word about your business, products, and services.

1. Cultivate your connections by creating engaging, shareable content

2. Respond to questions and comments posted to your social sites in a timely manner

3. Consider advertising where your customers spend their timeA. Targeted Facebook ads won’t break the bank

4. Join a referral community

Tip #4 – Increase the ways potential customer can learn about your business

The digital world is full of great ways to interact with people like you, and businesses like yours. Be a part of your community by participating in online groups and forums.

1. Facebook groups - Connect with customers on an individual basisA. Become a contributor and subtly promote your business by

sharing engaging content, pictures, videos, and links

B. Allows you to email members easily, unlike Facebook pages

C. Utilize the Events function to drive traffic to your business

2. LinkedIn groups - Connect with other professionals in your industryA. Choose your groups wisely and actively contribute

Tip #5 – Network with others in your industry and community

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Tip #6 – Facilitate referrals and reviews of your business

Today’s consumer relies heavily on online recommendations from connections and trusted online communities. People look to their social networks for advice on what to buy.

1. Add Review/Recommend options to your website and social pages

2. Ask customers to review your products and services on well known consumer lists

3. Promote your business by highlighting positive customer reviews

4. Use an email tool like Constant Contact or MailChimp to send out requests for reviews to past customers

5. Reward your customers for referrals and reviews

Tip #7 – Quickly implement promotionsSocial media is quicker and cheaper than traditional marketing. Social promotions appear in your followers feeds immediately and are less intrusive than email.

1. Anything that you would normally email, direct mail, or promote on your website can be translated in to a social post

2. Give your promotional posts on Facebook a boost

Tip #8 – Check up on your competitionWhat better way to see what your competition is doing than to stalk them on social media? You can also follow businesses you aspire to be like.

1. Follow your competition’s pages on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…anywhere they have a presence

2. Watch for things like:A. Sales and promotions

B. Staff advancements/changes

C. Aesthetic updates to their online presence

D. Job announcements

E. Press releases

Tip #9 – Help drive traffic to your websiteUse social media to point customers to all of the great information that is on your website. Social media also helps with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

1. Your website is more likely to be found if you have social accounts that link back to it

2. Many businesses are choosing to only have a presence on Facebook. Use caution in choosing this route because Facebook won’t ask for your input when they make interface and functionality changes

Tip #10 – Track industry news and trendsUse social media dashboards and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to stay informed of industry news and trends.

Hootsuite• Multiple users for

multiple accounts• Single post creation

for multiple accounts• Post scheduling• Manage business

and personal accounts in one dashboard

Resource – Social Media Examiner article 5 Social Media Management Tools to Save Time

RSS feed readers, like Feedly, help organize all your online points of interest into one digestible dashboard.

Resource – Zapier article The 10 Best Feed Reader Apps for RSS, News, and More

Choosing the right social platform for your businessYou can create the best, most engaging content in the world but, if your target market isn’t seeing it, then it’s wasted time. How do you figure out where to be online?

1. Customer demographicsA. Know who your customer is and where they spend their

time online

B. Conduct a survey

2. Google Analytics will tell you who has been visiting your website

3. Research where your competitors are

4. What are you most comfortable with?

Resource – Pew Research article Men Catch Up With Women On Overall Social Media Use and The Demographics of Social Media Users

Resource – SmartInsights.com article Global Social Media Research Summary 2016

How to get startedDo not create your social media accounts without a content plan. You need to know how social media will supplement your current marketing efforts first.

1. In what areas can social media support your current marketing efforts?

2. Do you have enough content to post at least once per week, or the resources to create it?

3. Plan a social media strategy and calendarA. Do you have recurring events, or seasonal business?

B. CoSchedule blog - Step-by-step article outlining how to create a comprehensive social media plan

4. Not ready? Try creating accounts to “lurk” and see how other people do it.

Once you get started, don’t give up!Once you have established your social media accounts, cross promote them in all of your marketing efforts and don’t give up too soon.

Building an audience takes time. And patience.

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