Spike On Social Media

Spike Advertising Incorporated / 27 Kilburn Street / Burlington, VT / 802.951.1700 / spikeadvertising.com

Build your online entourage.

Spike On: SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media has developed from an

obscure online curiosity to a major force,

both on the Internet and within our culture

as a whole, forcing many businesses to re-

think the way they communicate with their

audiences. The transition from one-way

communication to two-way conversation

can seem difficult, and the difference

between pushing out communication and

pulling in those with whom you want to

connect may be confusing. But with the

right guide, you can successfully do it

in style.

Set Goals Write down specific goals and business objectives you want to accomplish with your social media campaign. This will help you identify how social media fits into your overall business strategy and what success will look like. Goals will also keep you focused and make social media a productive tool instead of something you just do, “because everybody’s doing it.”

Know Your Audience Does your audience even use social media? If so, how do they use it, why do they like it, and how can you add more to what they get from it? You want to be a pleasant guest that joins them at the party, not the lame crasher that gets kicked out. Do some research with your personal social media accounts. Learn what people are talking about and how your company can join the conversation in a relevant and meaningful fashion.

Create a Flow Decide the ideal online traffic flow and where you want your audience to go. For example, will your Facebook page stand alone, or will you offer channels to your website, a blog, a microsite, your store or somewhere else? Imagine how each social media channel gets your audience closer to doing business with you.

Set Guidelines, Then Let Go You need to overcome your need to control your message, which is tough because it goes against one of marketing’s prime directives. You can create an online voice for your brand by establishing a tone, a style and focus, but ultimately your brand is what people think and say about you, and you can’t control that. But you can direct it. Design your message to be compelling; give people good stuff to talk about; then let them help shape your message.

A get-started guide to SOCIAL MEDIA


Keep these tips in mind when developing your social media strategy:

G 0 A L S

1.

2.

3.

4.

Reach more people

Keep audience

better informed

Provide samplingopportunities

Improve service andsatisfaction ratings

6.

righteous mom

$#

@

5. Have people pass contentalong to friends

S A M P L E

Choose Your Focus Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are common sites to start with, but there are hundreds of social media areas to explore. Where is your audience, and how does each social media site help you engage them differently? Don’t let huge segments of your audience fall through the cracks, and at the same time, don’t spread yourself so thinly that the quality of your efforts suffers. For example, if you engage in business-to-business marketing, you might want to tap into social media streams like LinkedIn and Twitter, and pass on Facebook and YouTube.

Engage Social media is a conversation, not a soapbox. You are free to promote your business and all the great things you offer, but you must also listen and have a dialog with your audience. Answer questions and ask some of your own. Address customer concerns and ideas. Respond to posts and comments. Engaging with your audience adds credibility to your efforts and your company at large.

Find Your Voice How would your company talk if it were a real person? Think about tone, style and even vocabulary when you speak with your audience. It’s easier to have a conversation when you all speak the same language.

Be Relevant Add value to your efforts by giving your audience things they can use. You can offer useful information, advice, updates, coupons, promotions, a sense of community and more. Don’t simply broadcast your message like a free advertisement. You wouldn’t connect with someone who did that; why should your audience?

Stay Fresh and Clean Would you hire somebody who didn’t wear clothes and barely talked? It depends on your business, but generally not. A vacant social media site looks bad. Fill out your profile description, upload profile pictures, customize your backgrounds, and set a schedule to keep your postings and content up-to-date. Your audience won’t take your social media presence seriously unless you do as well.


Don’t Over-Share Be careful not to flood your audience with so much information that they completely turn off the tap. A healthy balance of freshness and frequency will keep your audience pleased. It’s also important to make sure your posts are appropriate. Discussing lunch plans and the latest exploits of the family dog make fantastic water cooler conversation, but they may not always be good for your company’s social media. Have fun and be conversational, but make sure you draw a line between personal and professional relevance.

Measure Monitor your progress by keeping track of developments. How many unique conversations are you having? How many friends and followers do you have – are you valuing quality over quantity or just casting a wide net? Is social media referring visitors to your website? Decide for yourself what is important, and remember that small changes add up to major shifts over time.

Want to know more?Contact Pat Sears ([email protected]),

Julia Andrews ([email protected])

or Ken Millman ([email protected])

at 802.951.1700.

It is easier

to have a conversation

when you all speak

the same language . “

“

Business

Spike On Social Media