4 Social Media Strategies Businesses Should Be Employing
What are some social media strategies you can use when getting started?
One of the biggest mistakes many businesses make when starting a social media campaign is doing so without any viable social media strategies in place. There is much more to social media than simply sending out tweets and posting to Facebook every now and then. Social media is an investment of both time and money (that’s right – social media isn’t free). Below are a few social media strategies businesses should be taking advantage of or at least considering when deciding to expand into social media.
1. Successful Social Media Is Not ‘Free’
As we noted above, using social media is not free. Of course, signing up for a social network such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn is free of charge, but managing these networks and driving business as a result of this activity will take investments of both manpower and capital. This is why the implementation of thoughtful social media strategies is an integral part to their success. You are going to need to know what your goals are, the appropriate channels to take advantage of, appropriate amounts of investment (e.g. activities such as Facebook Ads) and what metrics you wil be looking at in order to generate the highest return from your social media efforts. So while jumping onto a network might be free, getting the most out of it, like anything in business, is going to take a serious investment and commitment.
2. You Are Not the Center of Attention
Social media is about one thing and one thing only: being social. So, what will be the result of endless self-promotion on social networks? You’ll find your accounts on the island of abandoned brands. This is the last place a business wants to be, because it means that all of that investment we mentioned in 1 will be wasted. So how do you avoid this? Focus on others. Social media is about engaging with an audience. Tout yourself as an expert not by simply stating it in a tweet or post, but by helping others with their questions or issues. Do you know everything there is to know about web design? Well, instead of simply repeating that throughout the day hoping someone will call you, give tips, lessons, webinars or answer questions for people when they come up. This is a surefire way to generate business from the leads you find all over the social web.
3. The Customer Is Not the Only One in the Customer Experience Anymore
The customer experience now includes the entire network on which that experience took place. So when a customer announces that they hate your brand and product and will never buy from you again, use it as an opportunity. What? That’s right. Over 70% of customers who leave a brand do so because of poor customer service. However, a positive experience with a brand will result in that customer telling an average of 42 other people about it. On social networks, that number can be much higher. Don’t focus only on the good and try to hide the bad. The bad is what can help build your customer loyalty. Social offers an entirely new means of retaining clients, and the best way to do that is to take on poor customer experiences head on.
4. 10 Million Followers Does Not Equal 10 Million Sales
It’s a lot of fun to see your follower count grow, and it may be a point of pride to tell your friends that your brand has 2 million ‘Likes’ on Facebook, but how many of those followers or fans convert into sales? While a fan-base is a metric that should be looked at and evaluated over the course of a program, it is certainly not the most important metric one should focus on. After all, what good is having ten thousand guests at your party if you’re sitting alone in the corner because you don’t know anyone? A focal point for growing your fan-base should be specificity. Follow people who would be interested in what you have to say. Garner ‘Likes’ from people who are interested in your message. At the end of the day, you may not have as many Twitter followers as Lady Gaga, but you’re followers will be more likely to open a dialogue with you and possibly be converted into clients than millions of nameless faces.
Building up a social media program can take time, money and tremendous efforts, but if done correctly, it can easily be the most successful pillar of your business in terms of customer service and driving sales. What other strategies do you think would be helpful for a business? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!