Last week I talked about the importance of both understanding what word of mouth marketing is; and, why it is important.
Social media can be used in many ways individually and simultaneously. How you use social media will depend on your particular needs and focus, but there are five ways in which you can use social media for your business.

Social Media Formula For Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

1) Connect to new customers

You’ll have access to a lot more people via various social media networks, this means that you’ll have the opportunity to connect with that many more people. Once you create your strategy you’ll know how you’ll connect to new people and what your purpose will be. It could be just to expand brand awareness, or it could be to infiltrate new markets.

2) Relate to current customers

One of the best functions of social media is to connect with your current customers. After all, your best source of business is the customers you’ve already got. It costs a lot less to keep a customer than to get a new one. Plus, they can become some of your biggest cheerleaders, essentially marketing your company for you — again — for free.

3) Build your brand

Sometimes social media is used to expand and build brand recognition. You’ll create multiple communities on various networks, ensuring that your logos and tag line are apparent, then you’ll formulate a strategy to increase brand awareness via advertising, giving away something free or having a contest.

4) Observe your competition

One of the unsung benefits of using social media is the ability to see what your competition is up to. You can emulate them and do them one better if you’re paying attention. For instance, if your competition is trying to handle buzz about something they did wrong, you can come out with a campaign about how you’ve always done xyz right. You never need bring up their name.

5) Manage the buzz

Even if you’re not using social media right now, there is buzz about you and your business (if only the generic version of it) somewhere out there. If you have a social media presence you can have more control over what is being said and even direct the entire conversation. You can incorporate various social media monitoring tools and find out what your market wants faster.

Social Media Does Not Replace Your Website

A quick note to the wise — Social media cannot replace your website. You need a great website that is full of important, useful and relevant content as well as descriptions of your products and services. Your website needs several factors to be ready for the onslaught of social media activity:

Your Website Needs to be Interactive

Open those comments. Don’t be afraid to have comments on your blog and website, this is the best way you have to engage directly with your customers.

Your Website Needs to be Mobile Friendly

That’s right, today most people are using social media via mobile devices, image how disappointed they will be if they can’t read your website.

Your Website Needs to have User-Friendly Navigation

If your views can’t get around your site, then they’re not going to stay long.

Your Website Needs to have Targeted Message

Your website’s message needs to be targeted toward your ideal customer and no one else. It’s a mistake to try to be all things to all people. You must know your purpose and reason for being and express it.

Your Website Needs to have CTA

All sites, like all blog posts, messages, and content needs a call to action. If you don’t have a call to action no one is going to buy stuff, join your list, “like” you, or donate to your cause. You have to ask them.

Your Website Needs to have Great Content

Your site must have great content that is engaging, useful, targeted and keyword rich written for human readers. Don’t patronize your visitors by feeding them fluff that is only meat for a search engine.

Your Website Needs to have Share Buttons

Make it easy for your visitors to share your website with friends via a variety of share buttons for all the social media networks that you use.

Your Website Needs to Contact Section

Always have a way, that is very clear, that your visitors can contact you. People trust you more if they feel that they have easy access to you.
Finally, be useful to others on your website. Make your website about them, and about how you can solve their problems within your niche. Your site is not about you. People want to know what’s in it for them, not what’s in it for you.
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• Tips on how to use social media to spread the word on your brand – Click to Tweet
• Are you generating word-of-mouth with your social media marketing? – Click to Tweet
• @SusanGilbert shows you how to use social media to encourage a word-of-mouth buzz – Click to Tweet