Social media has dramatically changed the landscape of global advertising and with hundreds of millions of users world-wide, the potential for marketing is massive. To put this in perspective, comScore Mobile Metrix recently released data showing that Facebook’s app has surpassed Google as the most used mobile app in the United States. While most new businesses rush to jump on the social media bandwagon, it is important to fully understand the benefits (and limitations) of social media. Here are five golden rules for marketing on social media websites.
Rule 1: Social Media is for Building Relationships, Not Sales
It is important to remember not to treat your social media sites like an e-commerce website. Social media is long past the days of being a trendy activity for teenagers. It is now a world-wide dialogue that can be a powerful catalyst for increasing brand awareness and building relationships and you should treat it as such. Keep your self-promotion and hard sales to a minimum on social media. Instead, become a trusted resource offering advice and expertise and you will gain customer loyalty.
Rule 2: It’s Not All About You
We all have those friends who do nothing but talk about themselves and never care what the rest of us are up to. Social media can be a cesspool of self-absorption and business owners should especially be wary of falling victim to it. If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what your customers want and are looking for, you have to engage them more. Inform them about your industry, offer advice and tips and make it easy for them to post comments or interact with you.
Rule 3: Be Selective About Which Sites You Join
There’s a social media site born every minute. You don’t have to be on every single site out there to increase your brand. Having too many sites is both time consuming and counter-productive and nothing looks worse for a business than a neglected social media page. Instead, choose two to three sites that best suit your unique business needs and focus on them.
Rule 4: Understand Your Promotional Limitations
I hate to say it, but we can’t all be Oprah. Most business owners can’t afford to give out 100 cars, so it is probably a good idea not to promote beyond your means. In all honesty, your budget is likely a lot smaller than Oprah’s and that’s okay. Instead of worrying about what bigger companies are giving away in their online contests, stick to offering one of your services. It’ll be easy on your budget, help generate interest and show people what you can really do for them.
Rule 5: Nothing In Life is Free
The most important thing to remember is that social media marketing requires time and effort. On average, the average employee will spend roughly 10 hours a week managing and updating your company’s social media accounts. While it may cost nothing to set up the account, having an effective presence online will cost you time, commitment and ingenuity. Be sure that you are able to provide your page with fresh ideas, interactive content and information that will keep them coming back for more.
Contact Us
For more information on how to effectively market your business via social networking, contact Imagine It Studios today at 956.687.1521 or visit imagineitstudios.com.