Why is the word “REAL” in caps you might ask? The thing is, there are A LOT of posers in the web claiming to be social media experts when in fact, they don’t have the slightest clue about what it REALLY means to do social media marketing.
The sad part is, the business owners (especially the new ones and those who are cutting corners to make ends meet) are misled and influenced by these posers and they end up making the wrong decisions when marketing via social media.
If you want to know how true my statement above is when I say there are a lot of posers in the web, then check out some freelancing sites like Odesk, Freelancer and eLance (among many others), you’ll find thousands of freelancers claiming to be social media experts for only $1 per hour. While their hourly rate shouldn’t really be the sole gauge to determine what their performance is, you ought to see a HUGE RED FLAG on that. Bidding TOO LOW reeks of “shadiness” (if there’s such a word).
So if you’re a business owner, what EXACTLY can you learn from REAL social media marketers to help you grow your business? What are the things that they do, that’s SO VALUABLE that you simply cannot ignore it?
If that’s what you’re hoping to learn about, then these tips will end your search!
Find out who the influencers are. Target them!
Instead of targeting an entire demographic, starting with the influencers can be a better idea.If you have strong influencers marketing your business or even just putting in a good word for your business to their community, you’ll get amazing results.
With how they have established relationships with their community, you won’t have to start from scratch when it comes to establishing trust. Because someone whom they’re familiar with is marketing you, you’d have gained a level of trust from their community, even if it’s the first time they’ve heard of you.
Measure. Measure. Measure
A real social media marketer knows how critical it is to measure the performance of the strategies you employ.Simply posting on a set time with a fixed number of frequency won’t work. You need to check out which posts are getting more shares, which links are getting more clicks, etc.
This will help you determine what works and what doesn’t which then allow you to laser focus your efforts and resources on those strategies that actually work.
Not many business owners give measurements enough value. Their focus is more on posting constantly, making sure that there are social media elements added, and that the grammar of the posts are of good quality. While these are also important, those are just the tip of the iceberg. Measuring your results, are equally as important as these!
DO NOT neglect the value of having a website
While social media marketers are usually looking into the company’s social media accounts, they recognize how powerful having a website is an SO SHOULD YOU!True. The social media networks are gaining a lot of traction in the web. In fact, we might argue that they’re slowly nearing their peak. But the truth is, despite how powerful these social media site’s are, they recognize how having your own website can be a game changer.
There are tons of benefits that you can obtain from having a website than just simply having several social media profiles. The best part is, having a website is VERY easy and it doesn’t take long to crank one up AT ALL! You can get services like 1and1 UK and have your website done in minutes.
Be VERY CAREFUL with how you say things and when you say it
You ought to give this some serious consideration how everything can easily go viral on the web.When dealing with irate customers, customer inquiry, or even just your regular posts. You have to be extra careful with its message and how its message is conveyed.
One single message can be the end of your reputation if your mistake is blown out of epic proportions due to the social media sharing.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat
If one method isn’t working for you, then don’t worry, just move forward and use other methods.Just like in social media, if doing paid ads isn’t working, there are other methods that social media experts can use like setting up contests for the community.
If the business strategy you’re using isn’t pretty much working, then you ought to use other strategies and see which ones will work best for you. And remember to - wait for it - Measure!
These lessons can help take your business to the next level. Be sure to implement them and capitalize on what you’ve learned.
Anything you’d like to share?
Whether you have tips, questions, or suggestions, the comment section is all yours! I hope to hear from you soon. Cheers!