Using Social Media For Marketing Is Becoming A Necessity For Small Businesses

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In the age of the internet, using social media for marketing is becoming a necessity for small businesses to stay in the game. Often businesses will turn to social media as a marketing outlet because it reaches the masses and is affordable, but after months of work many are finding that social media can be time consuming and a certain expertise is required to properly market to your audience. The primary goal of using social media for marketing is not necessarily to drive sales (thought that is certainly a secondary goal), it is to strengthen the relationship with your customers. The time commitment can be extraordinary and often many businesses will wisely hire a social media marketing consultant to help them get the job done right. Regardless, if you do have the time to launch a social media marketing campaign there are a few important things to keep in mind.

First, remember to have a personality. Your content on the social web matters, but its even more important to have a personality. Don’t talk at people, talk to them.

Second, accept loss of control. For those of you old school marketing professionals, ...
... social media is like the Wild West. Anyone can say whatever they want about your brand and you have to accept it. They are going to say it anyway so it is better that you listen and respond then try to cover up negative feedback. The game is no longer how to control your brand identity, but how to respond to how consumers view your brand.

Third, share worthy and diverse content. If you plan to post and repost the same thing on your social media platforms over and over again, you are going to fail. It is important to not continually market your business 100% of the time. I like to go by the one-third rule. Post about industry related information, interesting stories and interactive conversation two-thirds of the time and promote your business or brand only one-third of the time. This will be sure you are forcing yourself to discuss other interesting – but related – topics.

Last, integrate your marketing efforts. Don’t assume that if you just post on social media platforms you will be successful. Social media for marketing is not a substitute for your other marketing strategies; it is an addition to your overall marketing plan. Encourage consumers to visit your Facebook page as you would your website and make it worth it for them once they get there. You can you social media to maintain their loyalty and attention but be sure to couple it with other marketing strategies.

It is not a bad idea to consider hiring a part time social media consultant. You can refer to them to tips and updates on the new trends that emerge. It is also important to remember that this process can and will be time consuming so be sure you can commit yourself before beginning a social media marketing campaign.

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