Small businesses owners often wear many hats. Previously many hat wearers were called Type A’s and looked upon as unable to relinquish control but nowadays wearing many hats is the norm. The shift from having a full staff of employees to doing most of the work yourself represents challenges of time and efficiency. “I’ll do that later” or “That is next” is quickly becoming a part of your vocabulary. So then, how then do you make room for taking on social media marketing? First develop a social media strategy that will work best for you. Research the different applications and see where you fit in. Many spend hours upon hours on social media sites daily whether it be reading articles, commenting, reading some more, researching and writing a blog and interacting on the microblogging sites. This undoubtedly is time consuming but is necessary to bring your company to the next level and be where your customers hang out. Customers are engaging in social media but where are all the companies? How do you create a strategy and is it the right one? The right strategy is determined by your level of involvement. However there are basic components to a social media strategy to follow for success.
5 Components of a Successful Social Media Strategy
1. Look and Listen. This cannot be emphasized enough. Before you jump in and set-up profile after profile, determine if this is the right place for you and your business. Is it easy to use, will you update frequently, will you engage and build relationships? Listen to what people are saying about similar products or services and see how you can be valuable.
2. Participate. Create a profile and fill it out completely. Then start inviting friends or follow people who share your interests and seem that they would be a good resource for you.
3. Build Relationships. Yes, I am repeating. This is so important in social media that I just cannot stress it enough. It is not about you and how many friends or followers you have. It is how you benefit them and interact with them.
4. Content Sharing. This is a great way to build relationships. There are so many blogs and if you find something valuable, educational or the like, share it. Tell all your friends about it. This also helps get you noticed by others.
5. Set Goals and Expectations. What do you want to get out of social media? The easy answer is more customers, every business does but know that this takes time so set realistic sales goals. You just might create relationships that turn into long time loyal customers.
Social media is not a fad that will disappear. Each day that it takes to convince the boss, many times with a small business yourself, you are missing out on opportunities to meet new people and build relationships. It is not easy at first but really what is? It takes time and effort but do you really want to watch your competitor take away your customers because they were hanging out online with them while you were still debating?
Need help setting up profiles? Still not 100% convinced that this is right for you? Give us a call, we will gladly discuss your industry and how social media can benefit you.
