So you’ve got a Facebook Fan Page or a Linked In Company Profile...now to start getting some content in there…
What do you post?
We’ll if it’s Friday, you could post a TGIF image, or there’s that cartoon your BFF sent you that really cracked you up, surely people will love that?... then there’s that industry report that has some great stats people would find interesting, wouldn’t they?...And I need to tell everyone about my special offer too...
One of the most important factors to knowing what will work on social media is knowing your target audience and knowing them so well that you post information they will resonate with, react to and interact with.
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Once you know your audience, you need to build rapport, generate a relationship and increase their LUTU rating (Like You Trust You).
The whole idea around Social Media is to generate traffic. Google rank sites and social media pages based on usage - how much interaction is going on. It’s vitally important that you don’t have a social media channel totally full of your own self promotion. Social media is a two way street when it comes to marketing - it’s not broadcasting, it is communicating.
For example, if you sold office supplies, you could constantly post about savings, offers and specials, or you could consider shoe-shopping-galsyour target and who they are. Who are the people most likely to order your products. This is likely to be the office manager, receptionist or Executive Assistant. So constantly posting about envelope offers or pen specials is unlikely to light their fire.
I know this is probably going to sound sexist but, it is more likely they would be interested in information you post about shoes, make-up, fashion, coffee, catering, local events, shopping….
Of course you still want to promote your business, but instead of just adding info from the catalogue or spamming with specials, post in a way that will interest them - the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Using the stationery example; perhaps you’d mention the latest filing solution that makes their life easier...or those super cool pens that you just got in...or the new coffee that the boss will love you for ordering in.
Once you capture your target audiences imagination with the right sort of content, they will be more likely to the post, comment on it and share it with their network. That’s what Google loves.
There is a simple method to knowing what to post, I hope you find this useful:
30% - Your business (product, services, offers, info etc)
30% - Industry info (stats, news, updates etc)
30% - Tips, Tricks, Helpful Hints (Did you know…)
10% - Fun and Inspiration.
Most importantly, get posting. There is nothing worse for your business than a social media page that has only a bare minimum of information and using social media is one of the low or no cost marketing tactics you can take to drive prospects to your business and build a bunch of raving fans.
Top Tip: Post an article on your website blog, then copy the URL for it and create an attention grabbing headline. Post the headline and the first line or two of text from your blog post, along with the link and an image on social media, encouraging traffic back to your site to read the full article.
Now you have your social media network visiting your website…cool!
Social-Media-GuidebookIf you liked this article you might like to read a FREE Social Media Guidebook that outlines each of the major channels and how they are best used for business.
Social Media 4 Business, What's In It For me?
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