Hi,
Social Media Marketer, I found this interesting article written by Barry Feldman
and I thought I should share it with you. I know you will like it. Here is it!
Do you need a beginner’s guide to
social media marketing?
Looking for something to help you
get started with social media?
Social media is a conversation you
can join any time. Join now. You’ll be welcomed.
In this article I’ll help you blast
through the hardest part of social media: getting started. Right here.
Right now. Here you go: the essential how-to guide, no experience required.
Advice for beginning social media
marketers.
#1:
Start Slow
Don’t try to do too much, too
soon—you’ll end up overwhelmed. There’s no need to dive head first into a long
list of social networks, or even the top four, right out of the gate.
Pick just one or two. Each has a
learning curve, but none is so complex you won’t be able to grasp the basics
and begin.
The question is which social media
networks make the most sense for you? The answer: The networks your customers prefer. Dig around a bit to find out
which networks they’re using—visit their websites or simply ask them.
#2:
Find Out Where People Connect
Identify a handful of companies in
your space that are active in online marketing and visit their sites. Are they blogging? If so, look
at the number of shares for each post to see which channel is most active.
Do they have social media
icons? Look for the f, g+, in, P, bird and camera logos (Facebook,
Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, that is) and click
through to their social media pages. Do they have sizable followings on
particular social channels? Is there a lot of activity there or do things look
a bit static?
Find the right social network to
reach your perfect audience. Image: Shutterstock.
You want to be where the conversations are
happening. After looking into several competitors, it won’t be hard
to figure out where the action is. Go along with the crowd. Get
started with the one or two networks where you’ve determined competitors and
the market at large are connecting.
#3:
Watch Influencer Activity
In addition to competitors and
customers, look at the social media activity of industry influencers. The most
influential social media players are generally writers and publishers. Which
websites, bloggers and authors have authority in your industry?
The experts in your field are likely
to have established audiences, which should help you make smart choices—and
provide good examples of how to interact on various media. You may find that
influencers aren’t just blogging, Facebooking or tweeting; you may discover
some are active with video and podcasting as well.
#4:
Create a Thoughtful Profile
Every social media network offers
you the opportunity to create a profile. You can get by with just completing
the required fields, but you’ll be sabotaging your success if you do. Take
your profile seriously and do your best to fill it out completely.
The rules vary widely across social
media profiles—from Twitter, where you’ll have only 160 characters to work
with, to LinkedIn, where you can write a lengthy bio and post any kind of media
you choose.
The main thing is to be
professional, but personable. Avoid applauding yourself unnecessarily. Be
humble, but confident. Your profile plays a large part in swaying others to
follow you (or not), so be authentic and interesting.
As you create your different
profiles, include keywords that are most relevant to your profession to
enable others to find you via search. Frequently, you’ll find hashtags (the #
symbol) preceding keywords. Include links, where possible, to your website.
#5:
Upload a Nice Photo
Too many social media users are
inappropriately creative when it comes to their profile picture.
Don’t use family photos, pets,
landscapes or any odd depictions of yourself or your professional persona. In my opinion, you should also avoid logos if
possible. In a physical social situation, you wouldn’t introduce yourself by
whipping out a picture of your dog.
Your online profile is a social
situation—show visitors your smile. Use a simple headshot of you looking
into the lens, cropped closely. People want to connect with a person, not a
logo.
#6:
Upload Headers and Background Images
Options for headers and backgrounds vary
across different media. However, most social networks have followed Facebook’s
lead by offering a space to upload an additional image that acts as a page
header (sometime called a cover photo). On Twitter, you also have the
opportunity to customize your page’s background.
In the header of my Google+ page, I
feature a photo of various Feldman Creative items to help reinforce my brand.
Put some thought into your cover
photo and your profile page will become that much more welcoming. You might
elect to show your city, workspace or the like. Commonly, marketers will
use graphics from their website or something representative of their
brand, which is wise. It’s unwise to neglect your header image because a
generic one will be automatically placed there creating the impression you
don’t care.
#7:
Learn the Network’s Features
Yes, you’re going to need to learn
how your network of choice operates. Each network has much in common, but they
differ in significant ways. Invest a little time learning the ropes. You don’t
have to read books or enroll in a course (though you have that option).
Instead, acquaint yourself with the network you’ll use by asking for help
from a friend, downloading an ebook or guide and searching for blogs that offer
guidance from experts.
#8:
Follow Others
Your path to engaging on social
media begins by following others whose updates will appear in your feed when
you sign on. Don’t overthink this process. You can always revise your decisions
later by unfollowing people, so fear not and simply begin following folks.
Twitter and other social media
networks offer suggestions on who to follow based on your profile.
Whom should you follow? Start by
following people you know, as well as current customers. If you want to find
influencers or others with common interests, do a keyword search on each
network. Consider following those who follow the people you follow. (You
follow me?)
Based on your profile and your
follow list, most networks will suggest additional people to follow. In a short
time, people will begin to follow you. Follow them back.
#9:
Listen for Best Practices
In social media, the word “listen”
really means “look.” Translation: though it’s tempting to start posting
immediately after joining a social network, you’ll do yourself a world of good
if you step back first and observe how others behave and interact.
You’ll pick up on nuances of the
network. You’ll figure out best practices and etiquette. There’s no formula
for how long or how much listening you should do, but you do indeed learn a lot
by watching from the sidelines for a bit.
#10:
Share Others’ Content
The best thing you can do to build
relationships via social media is share content you discover and enjoy.
Social media is very much reciprocal. People notice and appreciate it when you
take the time to share their blog posts, images, videos, etc., and will likely
return the favor.
Build relationships by sharing.
Image: Shutterstock.
Social media experts often claim as
much as 80% of your updates should be shares. I don’t wholeheartedly agree, but
I do suggest making thoughtful sharing a regular and large part of your social
media activity.
#11:
Endorse Others’ Updates
Endorsing other people’s updates may
be slightly less significant than sharing, but it’s thoughtful and won’t go
unnoticed. It’s also easy and can be done with just a click.
Of course, the most well-known of
all endorsements is the Facebook “like”—a thumbs-up icon. Each network has one
or more forms of endorsements including a “+” on Google+, “like” on LinkedIn
and “favorite” on Twitter. Don’t endorse every update you read, but do it
when you mean it. You’ll find plenty of content and comments worthy of a
click.
#12:
Comment on Updates and Articles
The heartbeat of social media is
conversation, so while sharing and endorsing can be thoughtful and smart,
commentary is better still. When you get rolling and your network grows into
the hundreds or thousands, you won’t have the time to comment on every update
you see. However, the best content you come across will provoke thoughts, just
like any conversation.
When you comment, express yourself. Agree.
Disagree. Answer questions. Ask questions. Cite examples. Offer links. Say
thank you. Again, at its best, social media is a conversation and when you
put something into it, you get something out of it. It’s fun. Enjoy it.
#13:
Join Groups
The social media you joined are big
networks with hundreds of millions of members. You have the option to interact
with more like-minded people by joining (or creating) far more focused groups,
communities, chats and so forth. Don’t hesitate to try them.
Most social media platforms offer
opportunities to join or create special interest groups. Above is a sample of
the many LinkedIn groups I belong to.
Along your journey, you’ll find some
of the most valuable
exchanges occur within groups, and as result of your participation, opportunities continuously
present themselves.
#14:
Be Consistent
You need to budget time to do
social media. How much time is up to you, but understand you’ll be taken
far more seriously if you’re active on a daily basis. Yes, you can shut it down
for a day, weekend or take a break without threatening your good standing. The
caution I aim to make here is if you merely check in with a post now and then,
you probably won’t be taken seriously.
#15:
Don’t Pitch
If you want to buy advertising on
social media, do it. Most networks offer advertising options, and many are
quick to attest to its effectiveness. However, outside of the sponsored
opportunities some social media networks offer, your fans and followers won’t
tolerate relentless sales messages. The more you pitch your products and
services, the more they’ll reject you.
I’m not saying social media isn’t
for marketing. In fact, it is. The trick is to market with a utility mindset.
Try a softer approach to selling. Think of your offers as friendly
invitations.
Promoting an event, special offer,
sale, new product or the like is all fair game. You simply need to strike a
balance so as to not put people off. Your updates should be valuable.
It’s far more effective to pull than
push on social media. When you teach, advise and help people, your
contributions are embraced.
#16:
Tell People Where to Find You
As you surf the web, you come across
social media icons everywhere—as it should be. If you’re going to participate
in social media, you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity to let
people know where they can find you, so include the icons on your site
as well.
Consider showcasing links to your
social sites (usually represented by icons)
across all customer-facing touch points, including your:
- Website
- Online properties (including other social media)
- Email signature
- Newsletter
- Business cards
- Advertising
#17:
Be Real
Your digital presence is not a veil.
Don’t try to be anything other than yourself on social media. Write as you
would speak.
Personal branding leader William
Arruda says, “Be real before being virtual.”
When you let the authentic you come
through, you’ll attract the right people, make the right connections and
accomplish what social media is really for: building relationships.
Wrapping Up
Social media is not a fad. It’s
essential. Just as your customers rely on the phone and email, they rely on
social media. It’s where you connect. To believe otherwise can limit and
threaten the growth of your business or career.
But if you’re new to social media it
can seem like another language. Foreign. Frightening. You may be thinking,
“Will I look lame?” Am I too late to the party? Will anyone care what I have to
say? Relax. Social media is a friendly place. Use the advice in this
essential how-to guide to get
started with confidence.
What do you think? If you’re new to
social media, you can give yourself a head start in social media marketing
today. Grab your copy of Social Media Marketing Jump Here!
What questions do you have? If
you’ve been in the space for a while, what advice can you offer to social media
beginners? Leave your questions, comments and
advice below.
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