Once a business owner understands the basics of social media, the next challenge is implementation. The challenge here is to make, and then learn to manage, the commitment of ongoing commitment.
First, you need to understand three basic points to successfully implement social media:
1. Social networks do not work in a vacuum by themselves.
2. Social media was not initially intended for commercial use and contains inherent etiquette protocols that must be followed.
3. If you are a business person who is serious about using social media for business, you need to prepare first.
OK, to dig deeper into these points:
1. “Social networks do not work in a vacuum…”
This means you can’t just create your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, abandon them, and hope it helps your business. Social networking involves “socializing” with people.
Social media accounts help you communicate and strike up conversations with your prospects and customers. Once you start talking to people, walking away is rude. This applies to social media just as it does in the physical world. So you can’t just set up the (social media) accounts. You must participate in them, WITH your followers and friends. Consequently.
YOUR CHALLENGE
This can certainly be a challenge for busy business people. How are we supposed to play with those everyday things while trying to run our businesses?
It’s a challenge that business owners typically anticipate and choose to avoid by not getting involved in social media at all, or don’t anticipate and feel overwhelmed because they don’t know how to handle it once they start.
The point is to realize that social media is the new marketing ingredient that cannot be ignored. It can make your marketing efforts much cheaper and more effective once you understand and embrace it.
YOUR SOLUTION
The solution is PREPARE, PLAN Y CALENDAR your business time with social media. That preparation includes creating profiles and content in advance and selecting options that “automate” the process for you. An obvious, highly effective, and increasingly popular option among “in-the-know” business owners is outsourcing. Dedicate staff or hire social media consultants to do the work for you or a social media coach to work with you.
In any case, at this point, if you have a business, your business must be involved in social media or your business will be left behind.
POINT NUMBER 2: “Social media was NOT initially intended for commercial use…”
Okay, since social media was all about “socializing” online and building like-minded communities where people could meet, share, and have a good time online, no one wanted to see commercials or someone trying to sell them. something in those spaces. They still don’t. But information and creativity are highly sought after.
All of these people in all of these online social “communities” are still human, still living in the physical world, and all of them still consumers. So while it’s impolite to drive sales on social media, it’s understood that people do want and consequently buy things. The trick is to “inform”, serve and provide. EAST it’s the way you engage in business using social media. You have to BE there with your prospects and customers.
ANALOGY
Imagine, if you are at a party and someone at the party mentions that they are looking for a plumber… and it turns out that BE a plumber, then it’s okay to promote your service. It is not like this?
IT’S OKAY. Let’s look at another analogy. You’re in the bookstore… and the woman next to you asks if you know a good cookbook because she can’t decide between all the titles in front of her. By talking to her more, you find out more precisely what she needs and you are very knowledgeable on the subject. Consider that, in this case, everyone in the bookstore probably has an interest in the books. Everyone who is in the cooking section with you and your new acquaintance is interested in cooking. You are there too and it turns out that you are the author of a series of cookbooks. NOW, can you see when IT IS OK, expected and DEAR– for you to raise your hand and say: “Hey, I’m here and I have what you need!”… right?
SOCIAL NETWORK LABEL
This accepted behavior precludes simply joining a social space and starting listing your sales “specials.” Proper etiquette on social media is to simply share, befriend, and serve. This is “commitment,” and yes, you can do it through your business.
With social media, you have to be there, or at the very least, show up regularly. Join the conversation and contribute expertise, information or resources. This is how you and your business win. It’s relationship management and it gets stronger gradually, over time.
CONTENT IS SOCIAL GOLD
One such resource is the practice of providing “content” for your audience. This dramatically speeds up the process and increases your credibility and your advantage over peers and competitors in the industry. Providing content allows you to increase your visibility, attractiveness and WORTH which ultimately results in more business. This way, you won’t have a problem having one-on-one conversations with everyone on each of your social networks, but instead engage with them by giving them something they need and/or want. Done correctly, sharing your content builds the confidence of your friends and followers that you are the person, or your company is the business, that they should be doing business with.
IT’S OKAY. ARTICLE 3:
“The serious business person must first prepare to use social media for business…”
As with anything else, preparation is a ‘good thing’ that improves your efficiency and chances of success. Preparing for social media for your business includes:
1. You should already have a marketing plan. Now you need to at least outline where your new social media engagement falls into that mix. If you haven’t, please do so first.
NOTE:
If you’ve never done this before or need a “quick start” strategy, simply list all the marketing methods, outlets, and media you’ll implement, then schedule when you’ll implement each and their respective costs.
two. Write a “key person” bio and business profile. Edit each of these pieces so that you end up with at least three versions, including 200-word, 500-character, and 200-character versions.
3. Write your business slogan.
Four. Do some keyword research and then list your keywords so you have them:CLEVER– to place in the keyword and/or “tag” sections of your accounts.
5. Write a short “keyword rich” description of your business. Include what you sell, who you provide it to, and the profit. Again, create multiple versions so that if you run into word count limits, you already have it. PREPARED.
6. You will want a company photo of the owner/president or representative of your choice. Understand that social media is about people. If you don’t do this, you will greatly diminish the opportunity to present your business as “transparent” and build trust in the long run. Therefore, your business needs at least one face. Have it ready for your social media accounts.
7. Company logo.
8. Produce an initial introductory press release that can be provided at any time if needed. Don’t try this if you don’t know what you’re doing. Pay a freelance publisher or journalist to write it for you. Format it for email and PDF so you can use it as needed, when needed. This business “content” is an extra option that puts you ahead of most. From time to time, please review this release, edit and update it as necessary to keep it current.
9. Prepare a selection of photos and images that you can use when necessary. These can include client logos if your business services or sells to other businesses, or photos of your retail space, office building, and products. You get the idea. If you’re a photographer or designer, produce a digital portfolio for immediate submission when prompted.
10 Because you ARE actually in business to sell something, prepare your sales materials specifically for online “social response.” Produce your list of products or services. Include features, benefits and prices. Create your contract or invoice forms. Last but not least, produce the sales “speech.” Again, if you don’t have the skill of writing (sales) copy, hire a professional copywriter. At least understand that this material is best written by marketing and sales professionals, NOT journalists. It is a completely different discipline. Even better, hire an SEO copywriter. If you must do it yourself, before you start, use Google to search for copywriting, sales copywriting, and SEO copywriting.
eleven When you engage with your prospects and customers on your social media, your ultimate goal in getting the sale is to send them to your business destination. As long as they are online and you maintain their interest, you should be able to send them to your web destination. So you must have your website up and running. PRIOR TO you are going full speed with your social media marketing. This not only enhances your credibility, but also allows you to transact business online which, as a business person, is the primary purpose of your social media involvement.
NOTE:
This online business “transaction” is not necessarily a purchase, it could be that your prospect prints out a coupon to go to your actual location.
12 Content is the main driving force that makes you win friends, followers and customers. Make the production of content for your social networks a part of your business on a regular and constant basis. Basically, the online content is:
• publications
• items
• Photos
• audio recordings (podcasts and webinars)
• video
NOTE:
Those are the essentials. Additional content you may produce and use includes, but is not limited to:
• surveys
• Press releases
• tutorials
• advertisements
• testimonials/reviews
BOTTOM LINE
When using social media to drive people to your website, what you can do from there is only limited by your imagination or lack of information (aka knowledge). The conclusion of all this is PREPARED Y HOLD LEARNING and master your social media skills for business.