You’ve put up a Facebook page for your business – congratulations! However, that’s only the first step. It’s not enough to simply publish a Facebook page for your business. You must have a good content and engagement strategy to keep people coming back for more.
With social media fever running at an all-time high, it’s easy for people to lose sight of the fact that these tools are not the end-all-be-all of marketing your business. You are not likely to get a client the first time they visit your page. Social media is a visibility and relationship building marketing strategy. Simply being on Facebook or Twitter will not bring you clients instantly. You have to build relationships with your fans OVER TIME.
Getting the “Like” is just the start. You must give people a reason to come back. Strategies like offering coupons, special discounts or exclusive content (articles, videos, etc.) for your fans will keep them engaged and coming back to your page on a regular basis to see what’s new.
Here are five quick tips for making the most of social media to produce more profit, boost credibility and build your business:
1. Have a strategy. First, determine how social media fits into your overall marketing strategy. What is your goal? Do you want to build a list, drive traffic to a website, or both? Keep in mind that your overall results with social media will depend on your ability to convert that list of traffic into paying clients. To get best results, you’ll want to think through your entire process, rather than just rely on social media as the new thing.
2. Write killer content. There is only one thing that will get you popularity in social media…your content (or written information). You need to create content that people want to read; the kind that grabs attention, solves pressing problems, and has a strong ‘pass-along’ factor. Great content will get you a loyal audience on social media networks. High value content is in demand both in social media networks and on the web as a whole. Garnering valuable information is the reason people look to the internet. To drive traffic to your site using social media, you must have something that people want.
3. Give more than you think you should and then give some more. Social media can be a highly effective relationship building tool. To build good relationships, it is good to give before you get. Recommend resources, contacts, and give information freely.
4. Strike a balance between giving and self-promotion. When you have new content on your site or that you have submitted to a directory, send out an email or message via the social network to let your readers know about it. But, be careful not to overdo it. You’ll alienate people if you are always selling something. It’s important to find the balance between sharing valuable content and resources with shameless self-promotion.
5. Be time conscious. Social media is an attractive marketing tactic because there is no huge financial investment to get started. However, it can suck up an awful lot of your time if you’re not careful. And time IS money if you want a successful business. You need to get really clear on what you want to achieve and allocate your time accordingly.
Just being on Facebook doesn’t bring you more clients – building relationships with your social community over time definitely will!
Through GetKnownGetClients.com, she offers coaching and training programs where she teaches women all the ins-and-outs of creating and implementing their own profit-producing, credibility-boosting, business-building marketing plan and implementation strategy.
Cindy has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Fox.com Small Business, ABC TV-WKYC Channel 5, Inside Business magazine and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Quick Tips to Building Social Relationships - June 1, 2012
