Unless you want to quickly earn your company a bad reputation as a social media spammer do not start a move into blogging, forums and creating profiles on social media sites in the belief that it is a quick way of generating quality links to your website, increase visitors and improve your search engine ranking.
Don’t Ignore Social Media.
On the other side of the coin, no matter how traditional, modern, big or small your company, you cannot afford to ignore social media. The way you present yourself in this ‘space’ can affect your company’s reputation and give you an ability to connect with customers and potential customers. Ignore it, and others may be affecting your company’s reputation and stealing your customers without you even knowing!
Social media isn't just for kids. It's where your customers go; meet them on their terms and you can engage with them, listen to them, get them excited and get invited to share their world where they will show you what they want and what they respond to.
Take Time to Complete your Profiles.
To get accepted into any community you need to build trust; just like in the real world this usually starts with introducing yourself and telling someone a little bit about yourself.
An empty social media profile is not going to win you any friends; gain instant credibility by completing your profile. Take care to make sure it is content rich and attractive. Include your background, a photo, contact information and a list of things that will help others get to know you.
Content rich doesn’t mean you have to reveal personal information about yourself; don’t forget you are doing this to help your business. It should represent who you are as a company; your culture, your approach, your unique selling points: It should contain the sort of information your customers want to know.
Be honest about who you are.
Posting fake reviews and testimonials, updating your own Wikipedia page, creating a fake blogging identity, automatically posting wall messages are all possible, but all destined to ignite your reputation in flames. Learn from the mistakes of others; if you can’t invest the time to engage in social media and interact in a genuine way don’t do it.
Alternatively get someone else to do it for you; at the very least you should know what others are saying about you in the blogosphere.
Relax.
You don’t get to ‘sign off’ on copy or approve all images prior to use; you are not in control, the community as a whole is. Don’t be freaked out by this, if you have a good business proposition, are honest, original and engaging, the social media community will accept you. Expect the unexpected, go with the flow of conversation and...
Listen.
Let the community tell you what they want from your business, developing a business presence in social media is primarily an opportunity to listen.
Hear customer feedback, learn what excites them about your business and products – then find a way to respond positively and support your business goals.
Do not pitch or sell. To be an acceptable social media citizen you must listen before you speak and must give before you take. You participate by adding value to the community and to our customers; not to yourself.
Embrace the Technology.
Traditional media meant creating an advert and choosing where to place it, it meant writing a press release and convincing journalists to publish it.
Expecting social media to work in the same way will be fatal. Widgets, video, podcasts, voting, games and viral content are all about engagement. Work out how to engage with the community and accept response and feedback and you will gain interest and success.
Be in it for the Long Term.
It is not possible to engage with existing customers, recruit new ones and develop new revenue streams without on-going effort. Social media will require an on-going investment of time, effort and (sometimes) money to achieve your objectives.
If you know me, you’ll know that I go on and on about internet marketing and digital marketing solutions rather than websites, I truly believe we are turning a corner; social media is coming of age and businesses can now have a successful online presence without the need for a fancy, expensive website.
Social media starts with the creation of content rich profiles, but requires on-going engagement in the community, the production of great content and an active contribution. It’s not simply about posting your holiday snaps!
Unless you are under 20 you may need some help, give me a call sometime on 01422 823 075 or drop me an email.