If I could help small business owners understand just one lesson I have learned about social media… it would be that social media is not a “silver bullet”. Just like many marketing strategies – social media marketing takes time & dedication… being consistent with the amount of work you invest will increase the amount of return you will receive. Like most things, you reap what you sow.
Social media is not only about having an account on Facebook, Tweeting, and filling out your LinkedIn profile. To actually get a return on your investment in social media marketing – you will have to offer the community value. Keep reading to learn a few ways small business owners can easy insert more value into your social media strategy…
In many ways, using social media is like a mountain – the only way to get to the top is by talking one step at a time until you get to the top. When you reach the top, you will have tangible proof that your plan worked and you will begin to reap the rewards of the investment/effort… and the community will send leads and customers in your direction. Keep in-mind, the proper social media strategy will not work overnight. As a small business owner, you will have to be dedicated and invest time/effort and possible money on a constant (sometimes daily) basis to build a rock-solid base.
So, do you think you’re ready? Let’s start…
Social media is about learning, listening and creating relationships. Social media gives us the ability to:
Listen to your potential customers and clients and gain intelligence.
- Learn about what it is they want.
- What are they looking for?
- How can you help?
- Build relationships, because people want to buy from people that they not only know, but that they like.
We are enabled through social media to build authentic and personal connections and in return those connections will help us in growing our businesses. Those connections will come from sharing value – not selling.
The social media strategy ladder looks like this:
Step 1: Content
Step 2: Syndication and Signups
Step 3: Social Listening and Reputation Management
Step 4: Making Your Content Share-able
Step 5: Choosing the correct Social Networks
Do you have any suggestions or steps that you use that help you in your current social media strategy? Is there a step that I ma missing/ need to add?
