Over the course of the last two years, it’s become increasingly apparent that social media is not a passing fad. In some capacity or another, it will be apart of most online marketing campaigns.
The biggest stumbling block for many companies is that, while you need things like Facebook Pages and Twitter Profiles, they operate very differently for different businesses in different niches. It’s easy to waste time and money on those profiles that could be used elsewhere.
This of course causes many people to conclude that social media doesn’t work.
But it does work…quite well in fact. It’s just a matter of customizing how you use social media to fit your audience, their needs, and your resources. Here are some tips for doing just that.
Step 1 – Find Your Audience
If 99% of your customers are consumers – homeowners who live in the suburbs with kids – you’re probably going to find them on Facebook. But what if your audience is more diverse, whether in terms of their business focus, location, or income?
The blanket approach to social media – in which you create an account for every service with more than 50 million users (of which there are at least eight in the US alone) – only works for big brands. Companies like Coca Cola or Whole Foods.
A small business needs to know where their audience is and focus their energies accordingly. Is it strictly Facebook? A mix of Twitter and YouTube? Pinterest? LinkedIn? Find out where people are looking for businesses like yours first, then try to attract them.
Step 2 – Choose Two Platforms
Let’s say you find your audience on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Instead of investing heavily in profiles for all four sites, choose just two.
You can and should have profiles on all four sites, but you can automate any single social media profile by having posts from the others syndicated there. For example, if you estimate that only 20% of your audience uses Facebook, automate it by having tweets, pins and new videos posted to your page.
Spending 30-40 minutes on each site every day is ineffective in most niches, unless you see a high ROI from that investment.
Step 3 – Automate the Easy Stuff
The easy stuff includes things like daily posts, uploads, event planning, blog posting, and even some comments.
You can and should automate all of the above. Use a free tool like HootSuite or Buffer (both are less than $10/month paid if you upgrade) to schedule posts days or even weeks in advance.
Spend 1 or 2 hours a month preparing scheduled posts for the coming week and then put it on autopilot. Similarly, connect your applicable accounts so that an update on one shows up on the others. Do the same for your blog so that all new blog posts are automatically sent to these sites. If you use WordPress, there are plugins that will do this for you or services like NetworkedBlogs.
Step 4 – De-Automate the Rest
Everything else should be done manually and in a social way. While there should be a system in place, don’t be too strict in how and when you respond to things.
Every major social network has a mobile app for iPhone and Android. Download those apps and use them liberally to manage your accounts. When someone posts a comment or question, answer it immediately. When someone follows you, say hi to them. When you see something interesting, share it to your sites.
This type of live, daily interaction is how social media is generally used and allows you to be more ubiquitous. You can’t sell yourself on these sites (with the possible exception of LinkedIn). You can, however, be there when people have questions or need advice on a topic in which you are an expert.
Be there at the right time and you’ll become the guy everyone turns to when they need something. Better yet, your scheduled posts will have a greater impact.
If you don’t have time for all that, choose someone at your company who does or hire a third party.
None of this is straightforward. Social media represents a new way of thinking about word of mouth and interactive marketing for every type of business. When in history has the same platform been used by Fortune 100s and Mom and Pop bakeries alike? It’s new, but it’s also exciting, especially when used with relationships in mind.