With the social media network as vast as it is, how do you get noticed? If you want to market your business, say you have a towing company and you offer flat tire repair services, how do you get traffic and attention to your site so you can connect with interested buyers and make the most of your offers, products and services?
First order of the day is patience. Diligence comes in a close second and delivering value is an omnipotent component. It takes time or a big advertising budget. I’m guessing you, dear reader, have more time than money, so read on and practice the following suggestions:
1. Always post valuable content
When you have something to say make it worth the reader’s time. You want to give something before asking for something. Some marketing strategies start with a pitch and others start with giving the subscriber valuable information. Whether it’s a simple post or an entire blog; people want something for their time spent reading the text. If you lose the attention of the reader because your offering is all about you, the reader will be turned off before they ever get to the what’s in it for them part.
2. Be consistent
Stay in touch. Post daily, even if it’s just a friendly hello. The more often people see your posts, tweets and other social media messages the more credible you become. You develop your brand as a person and are seen as an authority when delivering your opinion. Seeing you on social media sites regularly, stimulates awareness about you and that’s the beginning of building a network of relationships.
3. Don’t pitch with every post (provide value and results in advance)
If you are constantly selling – always telling readers what a great deal they can get from you, they will soon skim over your message faster than oil on ice. Put something out there fun about yourself, or a cute picture of your little boy or the mess your puppy made when left alone for the first time. If nothing’s going on with you find an interesting story about someone else that you can relay. Set your contacts up to share your victories and celebrations. People want to do business with people they know, like and trust and this can be done by providing value and results in advance to prove yourself.
4. Use video
“One picture is worth ten thousand words” . . . Chinese proverb. Well then how much value do you think you give and receive from video?! If you’re camera shy, put together a fun power-point presentation where you can use voice-over to relay the message. Keep your audience engaged with illustrations – either purchased or original. Use moving footage aka video or rolling snapshots. Have fun with this and the fun will translate to your viewers.
5. Tell them the next step (call to action)
Even if it’s a non-business related message, always leave a trail that leads back to you. Tell your reader to share, re-tweet, comment or generally pass your post along. People will react to direction, but it’s important to give it to them. Tell them the next step. If they’ve enjoyed your messages and what you stand for, they’ll want to see more and share them. Give them that opportunity to connect with you with every bit of content you deliver using social networking. Link back to your brand and remember sometimes you will be want to be more subtle than at other times – recall point #2.
Social networking is a major component to any business or personal branding strategy. Back in the day we used to say: “Your network is your net worth”. It’s a broader playing field now because your social reach is planetary and not confined to the meet-up groups around town. Use it wisely and watch as your influence pays off.
Leave a comment below. What are some of the strategies you’re using within social media networking?
