Often people are keen to get stuck in with a social media campaign and are full of enthusiasm and great intentions when starting. Sometimes the novelty quickly starts to wane and finding the time to blog, tweet and source content becomes an effort enabling the social media rot to set in. So how can you keep your social media buzz on track?
Marketing strategy
Yes I know the word “strategy”, sounds boring and another item to add to the “to-do” list but really would you leave your house, jump in the car and just drive off with no idea of the destination? Might be fun occasionally, the open road and Dolly the Sat Nav chattering away, but on a daily basis, quite stressful!
So revisit your marketing strategy, what did you set out to achieve when you started? If you didn’t consider this then time to really have a think. What are you aiming to do,what are your priorities and where are the people you want to connect with online?
- Set some measurable objectives: Do you want to increase sales and the visibility of your brand whilst networking and forging connections?
- Prioritise
- Set deadlines – what are you going to do and by when?
Understanding the social web
Do you understand the social web and how the internet has changed? Yes I know it isn’t difficult to tweet, but in the grand scheme of things do you understand why you’re doing it? If you don’t understand what you are doing invest in a webinar, workshop or training course. Find out the actual mechanisms of how to blog, tweet and search for information, and ultimately learn the concept behind social media.
Educate yourself and understand how marketing has altered, social media is about sharing content, engaging and forging trusted relationships it is not a broadcast channel and you’re not advertising. Become familiar with websites and tools that exist but just because everybody else is getting involved, you don’t have to follow the same format. Only you can decide what is relevant and suits your business.
Review your content
Just by having a page on Facebook does not mean that people are just going to turn up and join in, especially if you are not giving them reason to. Share interesting and informative content, have a look at what you already have available. Remember you can share views and opinions, company news, promote events, presentations and videos. One piece of content can go a long way across multiple social media channels just as long as it is relevant.
Don’t give up!
If you start a social media campaign don’t give up, remember it is hard work to get going and does cost you time, effort and energy. In order to achieve measurable results you do need to be in it for the long haul and building a solid trusted community is not going to happen overnight. If you are structured and disciplined with your approach you will reap the rewards and it will no longer be a chore or drain on your time.
Melanie Mackie , Scarletta Media
Melanie has extensive social media marketing and project management experience and works as a Managing Consultant at Scarletta Media supporting and teaching business owners, solopreneurs and SME organisations how to be social and integrate social media marketing into their business.
Melanie shares her views on “Scarletta’s Blog” and talks about social media marketing, social networking and social recruiting. She loves working on varied social projects with start-ups, solopreneurs and SMEs who are just as excited and fascinated about social media as she is.
www.scarlettamedia.com – www.linkedin.com/in/melaniemackie – www.twitter.com/ScarlettaMedia – www.facebook.com/scarlettamedia
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