Online Social Media Strategies to Move Your Buisness Forward

With social media changing daily it can be challenging to keep up especially when you are a sole business operator.  However, there are simple strategies that remain effective despite the fluid online environment.

To begin with choose one or two strategies discussed below and eventually work your way through all of them.  Implementing them this way facilitates more likely success as you are able to refine each strategy as you go instead of becoming overwhelmed with having too many!

1. Develop a Strategy

Having a social media strategy is vital and can’t be stressed enough.  It is essentially important to have a clear strategy around your reasons for using social media and the goals you hope to achieve.  The strategy needs to combine other business and marketing goals to be part of the overall marketing and communication strategy.  Therefore, everything is interconnected for maximum affect.

2. Social Media Means Being Social

One of the most common mistakes people make in respect to social media is that they treat it like traditional media – forcing a message in a one-way direction.  Social media is about building relationships and this takes time.  It requires consistent posting always engaging with others and learning to listen to what individuals are saying.  So the key is to be active, consistent and engaging.

3. Content is Still King

Content is king on the Internet.  Search engines love it and so does your target audience if you are providing them with information they require.  Static websites no longer work so add articles on a regular basis.  If you have a blog then update it regularly at least on a weekly basis and more if feasible.  Your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn platforms also need to be active and this can be done everyday with content such as quotes, clips or articles.

4. Make it Different

To stand out in social media there needs to be an element that is diverse.  There are a number of simple ways this can be achieved and here are some things to experiment with:

• Use humour
• Have a cleverly designed infographic
• Use vibrant colours, easy to understand language
• Use bold graphics, images, phrases, or titles

5. Use Video as Content

Video makes you visible and is a great tool to add to your marketing kit.  Potential customers may feel you to be more “trustworthy” or “real” when they see your face and hear you speak.  It is not as complicated as you think and once you have done it a few times it will be second nature and a great way to build relationships.

6. SEO is Important

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is essential and critical for online success.  It is not as intimidating as it sounds.  There are tech people that can support you with this.  However, you can learn about SEO and navigate simple techniques to begin with.  For example, starting your own blog if attached to your website is great for SEO.  As your rankings improve, targeted traffic will increase and hopefully generate more leads

So why not give one a go and see what happens? I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thanks for reading!

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Tags: Online Content • Online Marketing • SMEs • social Media • social media tips