How to Make Social Media Work For You

Getting Social

No matter what reason for creating a website, be it business or blogging, one thing you absolutely must do in order to be successful is to get involved with social media. As Devesh Sharma from Twelveskip so bluntly states, “Social media isn’t just a fad.” You will need to rely on more than just some great SEO friendly content in order to make a splash online. While search engines can be helpful in gaining audience attention, social media is also a great way to leverage targeted traffic.

So What Social Media Platform Should I Use?

The answer to this is somewhat complicated.  Understanding your audience is the key to having an effective social media marketing strategy. For example, if you’re looking to target teens, recent data suggests that the popularity of Facebook among teenagers has fallen to as low as 10%! So where are they hanging out instead? Platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram are increasing in popularity among the younger generation. If teens make up a large part of your target audience, you may want to focus more of your efforts on one of these other platforms.

As Brian Solis says, you should aim to “discover all relevant communities of interest” and build from there. Most people use social media to form a sense of community so you want your social media strategy to build on that desire. For example, if you are a blogger and/or business that specializes in cooking, then Pinterest should be at the heart of your social media marketing strategy. Building upon starting with Pinterest, you could use Facebook to share quick tutorial videos, like Proper Tasty. Pinterest allows your audience to save the recipes they like for later while sharing videos on Facebook can give them a better visual on how to prepare the dish. Share a snapshot of the finished product on Instagram as a teaser to drive traffic to the other social media sites, as well as the main content.

Basically, you should use as many social media platforms as long as your content fits into the niche of that platform. Using multiple platforms in your social media marketing strategy will ensure that you are reaching your target audience throughout the day and perhaps reaching people who you would not otherwise reach if you only stuck to a single platform

Content vs. Conversation

As you’ll see, the strategy proposed above is mostly content driven. There seems to be a bit of a debate in the marketing world about whether or not content or conversation are the king of social marketing. There is a popular saying that goes a little something like this, “Conversation is King, content is just something to talk about.” Many people will view this as meaning only one thing that as long as you’re starting conversations with your audience, the content doesn’t really matter. However, the real deal is this: Without good content, no one is going to talk with you or about you. Yes, having conversations with your audience may be important for growing brand awareness and loyalty, but when you’re just starting out with your social media strategy, it is important that you rely on having good content. One cannot exist without the other. As Michael Greenberg states, “Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about.”

Let’s Start with Content

There are a couple key things to keep in mind when planning the content for your social media account. The first is keeping everything in line with your brand. If you do not have a solid brand identification, it will make your blog or business come across as insincere. Not really an ideal way to start your social media strategy. The next big thing to remember is consistency. Major publishers don’t let their content lapse, so you should not either! With great tools like Hootsuite, social media management is doable for even the smallest of companies!  

Now on to Conversation

Conversation is the thing that really makes it feel like your social media strategy is paying off. Conversing on social media has a couple general rules of thumb. Constant, sincere engagement will get you the most positive feedback with your audience. Striving to empower and connect with your audience is a good way to make a long lasting connection with them via social media. Make sure you are always inviting people to share your posts and try to thank them when they do. A little thank you “tweet” can go a long way towards building brand loyalty. And, as Brian Solis states in his 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement, “Give back, reciprocate, and recognize notable contributions from participants in your communities.” Your audience is not going to grow exponentially overnight, but with some time and effort, content + conversation can get you on the path to where you want to be.

Where Do I Start?

Pinterest has some great resources for those trying to come up with a social marketing strategy. Everyone, even businesses can learn a lot from the bloggers who have really taken the initiative to understand and rock the social media world, mostly because they depend on it. If you already have a social marketing plan in place, take long, hard look at it. Are your efforts focused on platforms used by your target? If you are just starting out, think about where your target market hangs out. Do they use Facebook? Are they on Tumblr or Stumble Upon? Once you have narrowed your platform down to a couple choices, think about the kind of content you want to create. Are you going to produce videos? Are eye catching images the key to your audiences’ heart? Do not hesitate to ask other creatives in your niche for advice on developing a social media strategy. The final step is to simply dive in! You will never get ahead in your social engagement if you don’t take that first step!