Social media is THE big thing in marketing. You will be hard pressed to find a person or business that doesn’t use social media on a daily basis so your potential audience is huge! If you use it properly, it has the potential to boost your business to the next level. Unfortunately though, most start-ups and even some big businesses don’t have a clue about how use social media effectively. Here are the key do’s and don’ts when using social media to grow your business.
DO:
Develop specific Goals
Write out a list of goals you want to achieve. Next, make sure your action plan will take you towards those goals. Goals for your business may include:
- Boost sales
- Generate leads
- Increase brand awareness
- Improve business reputation
- Provide efficient customer service and support
Identify your Target Market
Marketing at the generic level is very limited in effectiveness. One of the greatest benefits of social media is that it enables you to target your marketing all the way down to micro-segments. This is proven to drastically improve your engagement levels and conversion ratios.
Adopt a Brand Personality and Voice
Social media is most effective when it is just that – social. People tend to respond much more favourably to business marketing with personality. If your business was a person, what qualities would he or she possess? – e.g. humour, compassion, reliability, boldness, etc. Once you establish your brand personality, be consistent with it. This will give your customers an enhanced sense of familiarity with your business.
Create an Action Plan
Develop a detailed and effective plan to achieve your desired outcomes. A good action plan will include the following:
- Listening plan
- Channel plan
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plan
- Content creation plan
Some activities you may may wish to undertake include blogging, building relationships and groups, running competitions, creating interesting posts and lead conversion.
Measure your Results and Respond
Finally, you want to find out whether your action plan is actually working to achieve your goals. Measurement should be about maximising your Return on Investment. This may include revenue growth, customer acquisition cost, or any other parameters key to your success. Take note of what works and doesn’t work, and make adjustments accordingly.
DON’T:
Neglect your Profile, but don’t overdo It either
Social media use is all about BALANCE! Don’t neglect your profile, but don’t be too active either. Be selective with who you contact and what you share. You don’t want to verge on being viewed as a ‘spammer’ as people may find you annoying and cut your business off completely. It is a delicate balancing act so it is best to walk on the side of caution.
Delete negative comments
While negative comments on your profile could be damaging, the backlash from deleting such comments can be much worse. Customers feel more appreciated if you acknowledge and respond to their concerns. It is expected that any business will receive occasional negative feedback, so how you deal with it is key. Keep it professional and try resolve any issues in a way that satisfies the complainant. Be careful though – don’t over-extend yourself as other customers may expect the same special treatment.
Rely on automation
If you rely too much on automated responses or posts, you will lose your personal touch with customers. This is damaging to your brand personality. Instead, you want to humanise your brand and make the engagement experience for customer more personal.
Take Action Today! Marketing on social media is fundamentally different from conventional marketing. In turn, your action plan should take advantage of the unique opportunities it provides to get your business ahead. If you have any questions or need any assistance regarding your business social media strategy, please don’t hesitate to contact me here.
