Any business that is ignoring social media is doing itself major disservice. Social media users total over 2.4 billion. That is like having the whole of China as your market audience. Your business stands to reap a lot from social media at little effort and cost.
Many businesses will consider having social media presence by thinking that a Facebook and Twitter account are enough. This is often done haphazardly without systematic effort at maintaining effort. How can a business maintain an aggressive presence on social media and grow it?
1 Customer profiling
You cannot communicate effectively if you have no idea of who is at the other end. Social media is all about perceptions and connection. Those receiving your message should feel a connection which you can then maintain and grow.
This should be the first step in making any organized social media presence. What is the age, sex, interest of your client? Have in mind that you will have several client profiles. This will help you tailor make your content for each profile and know the social media channel to pass it through.
- Organize your social media
Based on the profiles you have, considered the channel to deliver through. In many cases, it is a matter of course to have an account on Facebook, Twitter. It is prudent to consider other networks for different profile. For example, professionals are better targeted on LinkedIn while techies will be found on Reddit.
The kind of content to deliver also determines the channel to use. For video, YouTube is preferable, Instagram for photos and Facebook for a mix of video and text.
- Build an audience
This is where the lifting is. Building is a gradual process in many cases unless there is a lucky break with content going viral and spreading the business name. Building sizeable followers or fans will largely be driven by;
- High quality content
- Posting regularly and remaining relevant on trending issues
- Using the right tools and applications
A business can DIY on creating a following or outsource it to a professional outfit. Hiring a social media consulting firm is the way to go for many businesses as they concentrate on their core business.
You could consider paid options at this point. All major social networks are willing to highlight users for a small fee. This is a quick way to get social media presence quickly though expensive.
- Monitor feedback
Keeping your followers and fans engaged means you do not lose those that were painfully acquired. Is also tells you what is working and what is not.
By Mark Pavelich President Ceo The Mark Consulting & Marketing
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