When you can’t be there in person to represent your business, social media can help make the connection. Think about it – with a little time and creativity, you can speak directly to your clients, prospective clients and centres of influence.
In a manner of speaking, social media works like a trail of breadcrumbs to lead people to your business. And like breadcrumbs, social media must be enticing to capture your audience’s attention and to get them to engage with you. Otherwise, they’ll move on to something else. To help in that regard, let’s discuss what it takes to make social media an effective part of your marketing plan.
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Having a Facebook page is a cost effective way to “greet” people when they “Google” you. But put away the sales pitch. Facebook is a two-way street. People can discuss you and your services and pass along information to others in their social network. So make sure all the information, pictures and other items on your business’ Facebook page are fresh and timely. Once you have a page, you can share information and promote events. For tutorials and other helpful information to help you understand Facebook easily, visit facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-page-basics/.
DO: Post regularly.
DON’T: Overwhelm with content. Be selective and craft meaningful posts.
#Tweet tweet
When people use Twitter, they’re in a ‘discovery’ mind-set and open to interacting with new businesses. Use Twitter to build loyalty and engagement, and take the time to read the conversations among your followers. You might uncover ideas or problems your business can help solve. To discover Twitter’s full list of business tools, start with business.twitter.com/.
DO: “Listen” to conversations to gauge client sentiment. Thank others for retweets.
Weave a web with social media
When you use cohesive messaging across social media, such as promoting an event or service, you can disseminate your message throughout your network. It will help you build awareness, rapport and engagement.
Rules of engagement:
- Make sure your profile is the same on each platform and complete – they are for your business’ first impression.
- Don’t ask for retweets – if your message is good, it will be shared.
- Use good grammar and spelling and avoid YELLING in all caps.
- Use hashtags sparingly – you can’t tag every word in a tweet to improve searching.
Source: Raymond James
