“Social Media Marketing is the new ‘word of mouth”
It provides you far-reaching, viral impact. You tell a friend and they share with hundreds or thousands of others. That being said, it’s important to attempt to control what’s being said and spread about your company. There are numerous social media outlets, and new ones cropping up all the time. How do you decide which ones to engage in?
Start with Research
Ask your customers and prospects which social media sites they use, and what are they looking for with each one. You might also ask media partners to provide any research they have on their audiences (your target customers/prospects) about their social media use.
You don’t need to be everywhere – Assess the Demographics of your target audience
This will help you determine which social media sites may be relevant for your messaging. For instance, women in their 40’s and above may likely be avid Facebook and Pinterest users. Younger people may be on Twitter and VINE more often. LinkedIn is typically used by educated business people with avg incomes of $75,000+ (PEW Research).
Consider different content or twists to your posts for each social site
Make it relevant to the audience, demographics. But don’t be afraid to repurpose content – you may just want to change it up a bit.
Be responsive – Engage with your social community
Don’t just put a post out there. Monitor the Likes but more importantly the Comments. Respond to comments with your own reply and always be sure to ‘Like’ Comments that you find favorable. Keep the conversation going.
Immediately address negative posts
Reply to the comment with empathy and provide an alternative method to personally connect with that person one-on-one.
Use visuals for greater shares
People respond (Like, Share, Comment) more frequently when a post includes a visual – Video, Photo, infographic.
