How To Do Social Media Well
I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to suggest that I know everything there is to know about producing a dogs whats-its social media campaign, guaranteed to satisfy your customers, shareholders, wife or the bloke next door.That would be like an SEO telling you he’ll guarantee you the top place on Google…
However I hear people telling me ‘I need to do social media. Actually I’m not sure why, but I think I should do Twitter.’
I could probably make a penny or two setting up a social network profile and maybe generating a few Tweets. But unless you actually understand what social media can do for your business then your social media campaign will fall at the first hurdle. What’s more it’ll give social and digital media consultants like me a very bad reputation.
Reading through my RSS feeds Chris Brogan’s blog title “Is A Social Crash Coming”? stood out. I immediately read this as a social media crash, like the dot com crash a decade or so ago. Businesses jumped on a band wagon then look what happened…
I think we’ve learnt a lot since then and perhaps we are all being more cautious about how we, as businesses use social media as a marketing tool and use it well. Brogan was talking about how the internet has pushed human interaction to new limits. So how are we interacting in this new media age? Afterall social media is fundamentally about human interaction.
If you want to succeed in social media and help your Google rankings, understand that both social media and search results rely on Quality content over Quantity. What you write on your blog, website, Facebook page et all needs to be relevant to you and your business. Again, social media isn’t about promoting your latest offer or service via a branded Twitter page. Dialogue is key. Dialogue is the beauty of social media.
According to New Media Age, research released last week found that social media is one of the least popular channels for consumers to share deals, still miles behind offline word of mouth.
The research showed over 65% of respondents shared deals through word of mouth, just 30% over email and 11% on social networks.
In the light of digital inclusion, even my parents are online and Facebooking these days, discovering new products and saving their pennies in the process. If they have a good or bad experience you can guarantee they’ll tell their friends over a cuppa and cake. However as business owners we want to utilise the effectiveness of social media for online word of mouth marketing and, this is the good bit: respond to those good and bad consumer experiences via online dialogue.
We can learn a lot from offline marketing in the online world. My Dad used to work for a large cooperation as a customer services manager for a while. The boss was a complete rat bag but he understood the value of good customer experience and grew his businesses successfully because he made sure the consumer felt satisfied and listened to (thanks to his customer services manager!)
Things to Think About When Starting Your Social Media Campaign
Listen: use some simple social media monitoring tools such as Google Alerts to monitor your brand. I read a good article at Harrington McDermott and their recommended social media monitoring tools.
Respond: At least once a week respond to comments on your blog, comment on other peoples blogs, respond to @mentions on Twitter etc. Actively participating shows you actually care about your industry rather than simply the bottom line.
Engage: encourage your customers to strike up a conversation with you. Get their opinion on Twitter, Facebook Discussions or online surveys. Use their insights and credit them.
Review: social media campaigns need constant monitoring and analysis. However, it’s like brushing your teeth or doing the washing. You find time everyday, every week, to do it and make it part of your routine. Ultimately social media will give you the advantage of reviewing how you can renew your business and stay ahead of your competitors.
Find out more about how Sodaworks can help your business with a social media campaign. Give us a call 01273 90 65 65 or email us.
