Social media. You\u2019re either cringing because you don\u2019t want to deal with it, or you\u2019re grinning because it\u2019s helped you turn your business into a money-making machine (or at least it\u2019s on its way). For you grinners, you know what we\u2019re talking about. Social media is the (virtual) place to be. For the cringers, we know you\u2019re still skeptical. You\u2019re asking yourself if investing time and money in the twenty-first century way of communicating worth it. Well, one of the best ways to measure ROI is to convert leads into clients, and one of the best ways to reach new leads is in that cyber sphere of social media platforms, because, if nothing else, it\u2019s the easiest place to commute to; you just have to take care not to get stuck in the traffic of it. So the answer is a resounding Yes! You can\u2019t afford not to be on it.<\/p>\n
Before you dive into the virtual world, you want to be sure you\u2019re doing it right. You don\u2019t want to be clogging up anyone\u2019s feeds with boring or useless content, and you don\u2019t want to inadvertently commit a social media faux pas that will make you lose followers.<\/p>\n
So where do you start? Right here. We\u2019ve got some tips to help you get your social media up and running.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of platforms out there, with new ones cropping up so fast it\u2019s hard to keep it all straight. Before you go and sign up for every platform, do a bit of research and find out where your target audience hangs out online. For example, most of Tumblr\u2019s users are millennials, so if you\u2019re in the business of selling clothes, jewelry, or entertainment to the younger generation, Tumblr may be the place for you. If you\u2019re in the business of photography, you\u2019ll want to be on Instagram (because it\u2019s all about images . . .).<\/p>\n
Of course, one of the beauties of social media is that you can creatively bend your content to fit the platform, focusing in on that special niche\u2014your target audience or ideal client. If anything, you\u2019ll want to start with the \u201cbig four\u201d: Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, and Google+<\/a>. (Check out our post<\/a> on why these platforms are a must in the social media world.)<\/p>\n Share<\/em>. Establish yourself as an authoritative figure in your industry, your brand as an invaluable source of information. You want your followers to see you as a type of mentor, someone who offers something without expecting anything in return. Yes, you read that correctly. One of the biggest social media faux pas is clogging your followers\u2019 feeds with posts about your company\/product. Of course you want to post great content about your brand, but you want to establish yourself as a knowledgeable source first. One way to do this is to share relevant content from other sources in the industry. For example, if you sell jewelry, you may want to share content about how to safely clean sterling silver. Not only are you giving great advice to your followers, but by sharing someone else\u2019s content, you\u2019ve taken your first step toward creating a relationship with an influencer (more on that later). If you\u2019re unsure of how to find great content, try a social media management dashboard, like Hootsuite<\/a> or Buffer<\/a>, that gathers content for you, then choose what to share. (More on that here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Post<\/em>. It\u2019s critical to post informative, original content. You don\u2019t want to be too sales-y or aggressive. Content that brings your audience to you because you\u2019re an expert in your industry is what works. For example, you don\u2019t want to continually post about the great sterling silver you\u2019re selling. Instead, talk about why choosing sterling silver over nickel is more cost-effective in the long run because it\u2019s sturdier, easier to clean, etc. Of course, there\u2019s nothing wrong with a line or two about checking out your collection. Just make sure you\u2019re not coming across as the stereotypical used-car salesman. You\u2019re not just gaining customers; you\u2019re building relationships that will last\u2014well, hopefully, forever.<\/p>\n2. Be active and get involved. Share, post, engage!<\/h4>\n