Social media marketing is an engaging and cost effective way to grow your business. But you need to follow through with your social media efforts to get the most of it. Below are some great tips to get you started.
First things first: You need to set up social media pages. Some of the most popular are, of course, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus. Don’t feel like you need to be on every social media site out there. Really do your research on which ones are trafficked by your target audience and build your presence on those.
Update your social media sites consistently. To make the greatest presence possible, you must build daily updates into your schedule. This helps build engagement and brand loyalty. Social media sites that are updated only sporadically don’t hold much appeal to fans and followers.
Generate excitement around your social media pages by holding contests for your followers. People love to win things. Contests make excellent promotional vehicles to increase your fan base and grow your overall brand interaction with your followers. Don’t stop at just one; build a strategy around them to see your numbers rise throughout the year. Be sure, though, to read the policies of the social media you are using. Some have strict rules regarding contests and commercial endeavors. Make sure you are not breaking any rules that can see you kicked off the service.
Cross-promote your web and social media pages. To build better awareness of all that your brand has to offer, promote your social media pages on your website content and your website on your social media. Give your readers easy ways to forward stories onto others through social media buttons. Tease stories from your website through a social media post that showcases a great teaser paragraph. There are many ways to go about it, and all of them will raise awareness of what your company is about.
Email your current customers about your social media pages. You need to get the word out to your best customers about your new social media endeavors. They can be integral to your growth as they act as brand champions and gatekeepers to hundreds of other potential customers on the social media sites. Send out an email once a month regarding what’s new in your social media. This helps show that you are invested in it succeeding.
Give your followers exclusive offers, discounts and opportunities. If someone has made the conscious choice to follow you as a brand on social media, then this is a customer who is very engaged in what you are offering. Reward their loyalty and persuade others to become fans by promoting offers that are exclusive only to them. Give them private sales, special prices, and promo codes for discounts that celebrate their loyalty. Invite them to special online events that are only accessible to social media followers. The choices are many, and they can all deepen your relationship with your customer-base.
There are millions of social media users out there in the world; it’s important to start building your presence today. Use these tips, and you will see some real growth sooner than you think.