Whether you’ve just started promoting via social media or you’ve been at it for years and just need a fresh view, here’s a general overview of how to use social media to your success:
- Engage with your audience. While you can automate some of your social media activity, remember to show that there is a human being behind your profile.
- Participate often. Some amount of activity on a daily basis is best for maximum exposure. Remember that not everyone views their networks at the same time. For best visibility, rotate activity among your networks throughout the day.
- Balance your content and sales activity. Most businesses (with the exception of retail) should follow the 90/10 rule: 90% useful content, 10% sales.
- Be unique. Figure out how to set your business apart from your competitors. You can do this by being a resource for your community, sharing interesting content, holding contests, co-promoting with other businesses, and ultimately, building loyalty.
- Have a goal for your brand. What do you want to be known for? Who do you want to connect with? Be clear with your messaging.
- Add your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profile links to your website and blog for maximum visibility. Links should be embedded in corresponding logos and featured in prime real estate on your website (like on the header for your site or on top of the sidebar across your entire site).
- Promote your profile links in your email signature, in your electronic newsletter, online profiles, and anywhere you have online visibility.
- Connect with the people you want following you. In other words, seek out your target audience. Follow them on Twitter and locate groups on LinkedIn where they congregate. Spend at least an hour each week building your network.
- Pay attention to how others are using social media. This is an evolving medium. Look for what you like and don’t like about how others are using their networks. Always be on the lookout for ways to grow and stand out. Most importantly, do what feels right to you! There are a lot of people giving advice on this subject. You can learn from plenty of sources, and each will likely offer different advice, so pick and choose which advice makes sense to you.
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