- What are your specific marketing goals? Are you wanting to gather followers, position yourself as an industry leader, share your original content, or simply looking at it from an SEO your website perspective?
- What social media platforms are the majority of your clients using? Don’t know, ask!
- How much knowledge do you have for using a particular platform?
- How much time and interest do you have in keeping your social media active?
Another important consideration is who will be the “voice” of your company and maintain these social media sites? Social media is a 24/7 job, someone needs to monitor throughout the day, every day in order to quickly answer fan questions or complaints. Yes, you can use a scheduler for your posts but you will still need a person who can quickly respond to any activity.
Also, be aware that nothing will turn away followers quicker than the wrong content on the wrong platform. Be sure not to self-promote constantly. People are interested in what value you can provide to them, they are really not all that interested in your business. So posting nothing but photos and commentary of your business will not interest them for long. Now that they’ve connected with you, they want information relevant to their lives. Don’t feel you need to target every post for the entire audience, that’s really not possible, share varied content daily as a way to interest everyone.
Facebook – My favorite site and certainly the most popular,Facebook, is a place you can post many different types of content. This is a good place to post job photos, information and trends relevant to your industry, business and inspirational quotes, funny pics, and cartoons. Use hashtags as a way to get found in search, and on most posts link back to your website. Also, remember part of social media is being social, so follow and comment on other company pages to build relationships and dialog. When using Facebook as a business page you cannot like people, only other businesses.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a professional platform. This is a place to connect with local business owners to get noticed and share services. Share industry information, tips, and of course any original content you generate on a blog or article writing. Join groups and be active in them by posting your original blog content and asking and answering questions, this will increase your connection base in your industry around the world.
Twitter – It’s my opinion that local companies do not always benefit from using Twitter unless you are in food service or the retail markets. Though, having said that, I still believe you should maintain a presence on Twitter. Why, because it is the second largest social media site. Twitter is a good place to share industry information and connect with others in your industry. It’s also a good place to “”listen”. By that I mean, follow other similar companies and see what they are saying and sharing. This is another place where the use of hashtags is an important way to get found.
Pinterest – While Pinterest is often thought to be a “site for women”, businesses abound here. It is a great way to showcase your products, jobs, and general business information. Create boards that will interest your clients and always have some boards just for fun, suggestions would be quotes, humor, etc. Use hashtags on this site as well to get found and followed and link back to your website on most pins.
YouTube – Video is where it’s at in 2014 and producing videos for your business will really help not only SEO of your website (since Google now owns YouTube) but producing shareable content. Lets face it, people today are lazy and want to be entertained, reading a blog post is too difficult for many and they would rather passively watch video. So consider video blogging and producing video how-to tips and demonstrations.
How often should I post content to these platforms ?
My recommendation is to post most frequently on Facebook (2-3x a day) as their algorithm is such that less than 12% of your total audience will ever see your posts. Post on Twitter 1-3x a day. It’s a good idea to post daily on Google+. On LinkedIn, I generally post 2-3x a week, and take a look in groups weekly.
Sound like a lot of work! Yes, social media marketing is a lot of work, not only do you have to properly set up your platforms, you must continually maintain and monitor them. Responding to inquires and questions should be done within 24 hours and being social on others pages daily is a must.
Should I outsource my social media to a professional?
While some business owners enjoy and find the time to manage their own social media, others do not. If you don’t have the time, interest, or expertise I would recommend hiring it out. In today’s digital marketing world you need to be active on social media, so although hiring out may seem counter productive, it’s better than not having a presence at all. Hire an agency that you can trust to be the voice of your brand. Look for someone who understands your business and is like-minded in how you might respond to different questions and inquiries. Also, it is important to hire someone who writes well as this is the way you are connecting with the audience.
Some Final Thoughts.
If you’ve looked around social media platforms, you will notice many business accounts have been abandoned and forgotten. If you open a social media marketing platform and decide it is not a good fit for you now, consider deactivating the account or deleting it. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a business that does not actively keep up with their social media.
Just like in real life you need to keep in mind that social media marketing is an extension of your business. Keep your information and comments professional and avoid hot button topics that may turn off your audience. Remember, social media is about being social, so actively participate and engage with others.