Marketing is not confined to inserting advertisements in newspapers or booking a commercial spot on television any more. Social media has revolutionized the very concept of marketing, and 2014 is going to be even bigger vis-à-vis social media marketing. It is no use trying to follow the age-old marketing practices in this new and exciting media, you require well-thought out ideas that work! So, how do you ensure that? Take a look at the tips below in order to increase your traffic and establish your brand firmly.
Marketing is not confined to inserting advertisements in newspapers or booking a commercial spot on television any more. Social media has revolutionized the very concept of marketing, and 2013 is going to be even bigger vis-à-vis social media marketing. It is no use trying to follow the age-old marketing practices in this new and exciting media, you require well-thought out ideas that work. So, how do you ensure that? Take a look at the tips below in order to increase your traffic and establish your brand firmly.
1. First,Be a Reader not a Writer
Read what other people say and choose to comment wisely on topics that appeal to you. Don’t just start off by writing paragraph after paragraph about you, your’s and your products. Remember that a relationship is built on trust and social media is no different from the real world when it comes to people. Liking, commenting or simply choosing to say ‘hi’ goes a long way in cultivating friendships, which are important to introducing and establishing your brand. The bottom-line here is to remain interested in what others have to say and then choosing your target clientele.
2. Gather Online Friends
Try to build up a solid group of friends by using various social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Share your thoughts with them and expand your base slowly but surely. Sending friend requests and following like minded people on social media will help you to get an idea about the latest trends in the market. You are sure to stay one step ahead of your competition once you get to know the preferences of your friends and peers.
3. Organize Fun Events
Hold a virtual party by organizing fun events regularly. These events will earn you more fans and your brand name will be discussed and cast in a positive light. Be sure to send out invitations in advance by posting details about events on various platforms. Encourage your friends to pass on the invitations. This helps to increase the number of visitors to your site, as well as reaching out to people all over the world.
4. Use Pictures To Tell Your Story
Images work wonders! Be sure to post images regularly on Facebook and/or Pinterest in order to increase personal engagement. Don’t be scared to ask for help. Simply adding a call out to an image and saying, ‘I need your help,’ works wonders. You are likely to find multiple suggestions in the form of comments, which automatically lead to your brand being talked about.
5. Focus on Quality Not Quantity
Don’t post all your ideas or information on every social media outlet all together. Segregate them into sections and take a minute to think about which platform is the most suitable for your present requirement. Use platforms like YouTube, podcasts and blogspot to inform, as well as establish your credentials; and turn to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc for networking purposes.
6. Take Help from Influencers
Find and identify the influencers who use social media extensively to communicate. Approach them privately and agree to share their content which is linked with your brand. Ask them to spread a message about your brand too. A Quid Pro Quo policy works in the virtual world too. The best way to grab the attention of the influencers is to share their content without asking for anything in return, at least not at first. Do this regularly and earn their gratitude. Ask them to share your content in a similar manner and they will not be able to refuse.
7. Set Up Alerts
You do not have to go for the overkill. Choose the social media platforms that include your potential customers. Do a Google search or check out the communities where the conversation revolves around your variety of product/services. Setting up multiple alerts for your name, business product, company name, related topics etc will help you to zero in on the related conversations. Join the discussion and win new clients.
8.Use Text + Images
While posting an image and sharing it across platforms may help you promote your product, a single image may be misleading. Your readers may misinterpret a standalone image if you do not add any text to it. Creating an appropriate and tasteful infographic will help you to overcome this problem.
9. Mail Your Social Media Friends
It is not enough to have a friends list on social media; you need to communicate with them on a 1:1 basis as well. Send all your LinkedIn contacts an e-mail apprising them of your new products and discounts, availability etc, in order to generate new leads and clients. However, be sure to make the mail informal and personal without being too obvious about your intentions.
10. Customize Your Options
Don’t just blindly accept the automated features on a social media platform; customize your profile so that it can be advantageous to you. For instance, use the Power Editor to optimize a Facebook post. This can be done for specific actions like comments, like, video links etc, to meet your business goals easily.
11. Become A Trustworthy Online Friend
It will be advantageous if you can project an influence over your online friends. Use every tip and trick that will create and reinforce an image of reliability. The best way to gain this is to be available online. Reply to comments or posts and help your friends with profound answers. It is a time consuming process, but is very effective.
12. Connect In Real Life
While online friends are great, there is no replacement to physical contact. Use the ‘here on Biz’ option to check out the local friends on your LinkedIn account. Spare some time to meet them in person. Having a personal interaction helps in building a strong relationship, which in time can bring more leads.
13. Managing Followers
Use platforms like Google plus, Twitter and Pinterest to follow individuals and businesses that are related to your own line of work. Allot some time every day to check out the new followers, and follow them back if they are in the same line of business as you. This will help you to keep track of your competitors and generate new clients at the same time.
14. Broadcast Your Business
Be sure to use the ‘Live internet Broadcast’ option in order to market your product effectively. Doing this will allow you to speak to your fans and potential clients. It is an ideal tool that keeps you a step ahead of your competitors.
15. Analyze The Results Of Your Efforts
You can check out the source, type of social media, and your campaign via Google Analytics and get an idea of your own marketing skills. Utilize the Google Analytics custom UTM parameters to check the traffic flow to your website, and plan your next course of action accordingly.
16. Indulge In Private Discussions
Choose the social media that works best for you and interact with the users on a one-to-one basis. This will help you to find out about their grievances and problems, which you can try to solve by providing some individual expert advice. Chatting on Facebook, replying to tweets, or answering queries on a small related forum can all prove to be highly effective.
17. Track Your Competitors
Staying in business means beating your competitors at all times. You need to stay informed about their products, services, marketing, and activities in general. The best way to learn about your closest business rivals is to use Twitonomy. Analyze the content, take a look at the people he/she interacts with and keep track of the kind of hashtags that work for him/her.
18. Ask Your Friends To Share Your Posts
Requesting your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to share/retweet your posts will help you to reach out to a wider audience.
However, remember to share their posts once in a while too. Identify your diehard followers and ask them to comment as well as share your ideas. The same can be done with images on Pinterest.
19. Link Your Posts
Use hyperlinks to share information in detail. A social media platform will only allow you to post a limited number of words/characters, however, you are free to use links. Let your friends click on the links for detailed content, giving them a better idea about your products and services. A sense of mystery and excitement can provoke the curiosity of your friends and compel them to check out your website or content. Use short, but clever wordings to direct people to the hyperlink.
20. Repost Old Content
Keep promoting a few old posts from time to time, especially after checking the Analytics. Your new friends as well as the ones who have forgotten all about the original post will be reminded of your products. You can also make it more interesting by using a new image or adding a witty line of text. The ‘old wine in a new bottle’ strategy is highly effective and has proven to be popular.