Have you started leveraging all the social media strategies available to you in order to improve customer engagement? Congratulations! Not only are you a minority of entrepreneurs who practice small business social media marketing, but you are now helping to make history pages of how it is done.
Small business social media marketing, while now a widely accepted and practiced marketing technique, has not been fully embraced by most US small businesses. Effective social media strategies are still in development, small business social media marketing has irregular results, and some believe there are too many risks involved.
How do you successfully join the social media networks and connect with potential markets with your social media posting? Here are some practiced tips that have proven to show results.
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Learn How to Step Into Conversations
Social media is so named because it allows people to come together and interact. Will you join them? Or will you end up “lurking” behind the scenes? While the word ‘lurk’ may have some negative connotations associated with it as a person who ‘sneaks’ around secretly and unperceived, lurking is now a common reference to someone who simply observes online discussions without participating.
While constant lurking will not get you very far toward your small business social media marketing goal, you can observe discussions and jabber until you find the opportune time to join in.
For instance, say you just arrived at a party, grabbed a beverage, and jumped into a small group and immediately took over conversation. You’ve interrupted an established and active conversation, and now you have made a poor impression. At that point, it would not be surprising to watch the others simply raise an eyebrow and find another place to converse.
However, say you grabbed that beverage, took some sips, observed the different conversations going on, and found one that interested you. You casually blended in with the group, and at a clear and opportune opening, you joined the conversation and successfully contributed to the group dynamic.
That is exactly how you want to approach your social media. Don’t start right off the gate by proclaiming loud and obnoxious statements about your business or product. No one wants to listen to a pushy commercial.
Here are some additional tips for successful social media posting:
- Monitor topics – Use tools from Twitter and Facebook to track trending discussions and topics. You can find great keywords that pertain to your business where you can join the conversation.
- Look for responses – Use your “listening” skills to observe which topics and posts receive the most attention. If your business social media marketing strategy is pertinent to the conversation, by all means join in.
- Check for Repeated Topics – If a certain topic comes up again and again, it may be a good sign that you could use it to segue your voice into the discussion.
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Social Media Etiquette
Social media posting requires extreme tact and proper etiquette. Keep these points in mind with your social media posting:
First, you should abide by the rule of content. Make sure that your social media postings contain content that excites your target market and creates interest and engagement.
Your social media posts should be on the side of subtlety rather than “in your face. That means using tact, and avoiding using ALL CAPS when you post.
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Remember Your Goal: Making Money
Keep in mind that your social media marketing plan is not to make friends and gain followers, but to help you make money. Ultimately, while avoiding pushy sales posts, you should write posts and updates that reminds readers how they can benefit from your product or service.
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Remain Professional
When it comes to small business social media marketing, you want to present an appearance of professionalism. Keep your social media posting efforts business-like. That means avoiding getting personal with your followers, posting inappropriate pics of you, your staff, or customers, and refraining from trash-talking your competition. Act how you would in front of your best customer, and you will be able to traverse the etiquette of social media well.
