Using Social Media the Right Way

Just because you are connected to social media doesn’t mean that you are using it correctly. When you use social media, you need to use it authentically and it must reflect your brand.

A proper social media marketing strategy must have a solid foundation, just like any marketing strategy must have. You must be wholly committed to the marketing initiative and the values that you have in your business will either cause the success or failure of your strategy. The values of your social media marketing strategy must include transparency, commitment, a sense of value, relevance, and honesty.

Social media channels are not only intended to self-promote. The content that is posted on social media sites does not have to originate with the website of the person doing the posting. They can post content from other sources as well. Pieces of information can be contributed from all over as long as it is considered valuable and helpful to others.

Remember that social media sites are just that. They are for social purposes, not selling purposes. If you try to give a hard sell, you won’t be successful. People will be put off by you. If you talk about what you are doing with your products and services, people will take an interest, perhaps offer advice and maybe even buy something from you.

There are ways in which you can use social media effectively and ways in which you may not be using it effectively and don’t even realize it.

• When trying to self-promote through social media networks, be ethical: Even if self-promotion is the first and most important reason why people get involved with social media, they must still follow certain rules of behavior. First of all, spamming is always a bad thing. You need to have a unique identity that lets people know who you are as a person and that you are trying to help them by furnishing them with useful, high-quality information.
• Never have more than one profile or identity: If you have more than one account with the same IP address, you run a high risk of getting your profile banned. Of course, that will stop you before you even get started.

The proper way to use social media is not only to take from your readers, followers, etc, but also to give to them. It is not a bad idea to find someone who is really using social media successfully and mimic what they are doing. You will need to give it your own brand (or flavor) but you can use their foundation. You can apply this concept to any niche.

If you are not really making a proper effort to take advantage of social media, you are missing out on valuable insight about your customers. You should be a part of the discussions that are taking place between your customers and others. Get to know them well. One of the most effective ways to have credibility and to be regarded as a subject matter expert is to be an integral part of the discussions that are being generated.

If you are using social media effectively, that means that you are employing an intelligent strategy that is closely connected to real objectives that you carry out consistently over a long time period.

You need to look at your marketing campaign and figure out if what was discussed here is relevant to what you are doing in your business. Some minor adjustments can go a long way in improving how you are leveraging social media and how you are effectively marketing what you have to offer.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. Please contact us at CompuKol Communications for further discussion on how we might be able to assist you and your team.