Facebook and Twitter continue to be marketing forces smart business owners are harnessing. Facebook recently announced that it has exceeded 500 million active accounts worldwide, and Twitter continues to grow as a popular microblogging social platform, with over 105 million registered users and over 3 billion hits PER DAY. With these types of numbers, it is foolish not to join the social media marketing freight train.
However, is an account with Facebook and Twitter enough? Can you convey your full message about your business, your products or services, and your company culture in just 140 characters or less? The answer is no.
While you certainly should develop a social media marketing strategy and create accounts on the major social media platforms, you must complement these strategies with a bigger picture. That is why a regular blog on your business website is the perfect companion to your social media.
Your company blog is a place where you can publish your own content at your schedule, and with the information you choose. Consider it your own personal online magazine. You don’t have to publish an article or post every day, but at least 2 to 3 times per week. It should contain helpful tips, how-to articles, top 3-5-10 lists, photos, videos, and anything else that promotes your company and your products.
Your social media platform is where you share a link back to your website blog post. This is how you get more people to your website and attempt to move them toward making a purchase. It is not recommended that every one of your social media posts be a marketing message or a link back to your website. In fact, only about 10 percent of your tweets or Facebook updates should contain full-out marketing messages. The other 90 percent should be updates and posts that are fun, engaging, and helpful to your followers or fans.
With a combination of social media and website blogging, you have an excellent strategy to turn your fans and followers into actual customers.
