The rumors are true. Social media works for businesses of all sizes, can increase revenue and establish brands as thought leaders in their space. If you are thinking to yourself that you don’t have the time, lack the know-how or don’t know where to get started read the five steps below that can kick-start your social media presence.
- Set Goals. What is your strategy? What do you want to get out of having a presence in social media? Is it to increase brand awareness, run promotions targeting new customers or simply to increase revenue? An essential element to launching a page in social media is knowing what you want to accomplish before you begin.
- Pick Your Platform.Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, MySpace (yes, MySpace)… all of them have a strong network of users. Knowing where your customers spend their time and how they are consuming information is important. Select the networks that make sense for your brand. For example, if you are a clothing brand you should probably have a Pinterest account. If you are a motivational speaker, a Twitter page might be a better vehicle for your message. The bottom line is that you need to take the time to find out how to get your message to the right people in the right place.
- Educate Yourself. If you are not already a member of the sites you’ve selected for your brand, sign up. Take a look around and familiarize yourself with the platform. Explore the site and look at other brand pages to find out how your competition is participating in the community. Most social media sites have help centers; review the about section, glossary of terms and frequently asked questions. Twitter, in particular, can take some time to get used to as the language is uniquely abbreviated. Be sure to do your homework before attempting to create a business profile.
- Establish Your Tone. What message will you be communicating from your page? Deciding how to position your brand is as important as deciding what to say. Think about how you want to be seen, what users can expect to gain from connecting with you and what tone of voice you will use to communicate.
- Prepare, prepare, prepare. “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” –Alexander Graham Bell The effort you take to prepare will be directly correlated to the success of your page. Managing a social media business page takes time, resources and ongoing attention.
Understand that the creation and maintenance of a social media community is a significant undertaking. It’s not something you can set up in a day and occasionally check on from time to time. If you are considering getting your brand started in social media but still aren’t sure if you are ready, get in touch with the Bullseye Strategy team. Our experienced social media professionals can work with you to execute a successful social media strategy and implementation plan while keeping our eye on the goal, your bottom line.
Follow me on Twitter @KristineHartman
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