Four Tips for Social Media Marketing That Works

Nowadays, engaging with an online audience is a 24-7/365 enterprise. As a small to medium sized business, you can’t afford to use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter just to promote a product or service. You’ve got to communicate with current and potential customers alike on a regular basis in order to gain their trust. And what’s more, you’ve got to have a message worth communicating.

That’s where social media marketing comes in. Unlike traditional marketing approaches in which businesses speak at their customers, social media marketing encourages a back-and-forth dialogue between the two parties. When people visit your website and/or social media accounts, they don’t want to feel as if they’re being sold to–instead, they want to engage in a community of like-minded individuals who share their interests and concerns. With that in mind, here are a few tips to consider when creating (and building) an audience using social media.

1- Have Something Important to Say

So many businesses make the mistake of engaging in social media marketing for its own sake. They feel that they have to create a social media post on a regular basis without asking themselves whether their message is worth communicating. Before you post, carefully consider whether your social media content is worth sharing. What makes this information important to my audience? Why should they care? Does it address an issue or topic of relevance to them? Having solid answers to these questions will help you create social media messages with a purpose and help you stand out from the online crowd.

2- Provide Something of Value to Visitors

Your social media followers are no different than anyone else in wanting tips and tricks to make life easier. For instance, sharing a relevant news article about your industry–even if it’s critical of it–gives you a greater degree of credibility in the eyes of your audience. If you’re subtle enough, you can use it as an opportunity to promote your products or services and have your followers be more receptive to your social media marketing than they might have been otherwise.

3- Join the Online Conversation Within Your Industry

Not every instance of social media marketing and social media engagement has to start with you. Oftentimes your industry peers are presenting exciting online content that’s generating a lot of buzz–don’t be afraid to share it with your audience, if for no other reason than it might encourage the other company to share one of your posts in the future. Keep an eye out for discussions being had on social media and weigh in if you have something valuable to contribute, even if there’s no tangible monetary value to be gained. This will let your audience know that you are passionate about the topics and issues related to your industry and will give a further boost to your credibility.

4- Let Your Audience Know Who You Are

Today’s online users want to know all about the person (or people) behind their favorite social media accounts. What do you (and your employees) like to do in your spare time when you’re not at work? Does your company perform volunteer work within the community? What about intra-office contests, holiday parties and special events? Providing even a small glimpse into who you are allows social media users to relate to you better, which in turn could lead to greater social media marketing opportunities down the line.