Is Your Business Social Media Savvy?

In today’s online-driven business world, social media has become a necessary component for success. You need to promote your business in various ways, and in a fast paced flow of information your content and conversation needs to be effective.
The best way to begin your strategy is to understand the relationship between social media and business. And in order to create a successful social media marketing strategy, businesses need to focus as well as create a marketing campaign that will not only promote their brand, but also reach out to their customers and potential leads in a way that best meets their needs.
Engaging conversation is a key component in social media marketing for business. You want to make your content count, especially if you are also investing in social media ads. Here are several ways to create a huge potential of opportunity and remove the obstacles from your path.

1. Expand your Twitter reach now

Many tweets are sent directly to a follower or someone who has written a great article. When placing a Twitter handle at the beginning, consider adding a period first, such as .@username, that way folks outside of your network will be able to see the tweet as well.

2. Schedule posts and tweets at the right time

If you’re communicating with business people in your niche or fellow employees, then you will want to pay attention to the prime posting times of content. Consider posting your updates just before or just after the hour, as many people are in meetings and will be more likely to see your information. Lunch and dinner hour are also two favorite times to tweet or post on social media.

3. Pay attention to who is sharing your content

One of the best ways to grow your audience is to communicate with those who are actively retweeting and sharing your content. Thanking them and then following will show them that you are active and involved on social media, which also creates a level of trust.

4. Stay up-to-date

Social media is always changing and evolving. You will want to do a profile checkup periodically, especially when it comes to keeping your images in line with the latest standards. Facebook in particular, is always adding new guidelines, and so it is important to keep these in mind to maintain community growth and action.

5. Add your business address to Facebook

Your Page should be your main hub of activity. If you are a brick and mortar business, be sure to make your address visible, that way your fans can use the ‘Check In’ feature there, which will increase your visibility on social media.

6. Keep your social platforms focused

Depending on what type of business you own, it is important to know which social networks are right for your niche. Create a presence first, and then hone in on the ones that are working the best for you.

7. Interact with your community

Keep your audience in the loop on the latest events, pre-releases of products or services, coupons, deals, and so on. Twitter is especially useful to get the word out to your followers.

8. Don’t hard-sell on social media

This is one of the biggest mistakes brands can make. Social media is a place for sharing information, news, helping others, and building a community of trust. Once this has been established, your products and service will become of interest to them.

9. Considering hiring a social media manager

Once you have established a presence online and have an active and engaged community, consider hiring someone to keep the communication flowing each day. Many customers are online after hours, and so this is a great way to stay in touch while you are out of the office.

10. Bring incentives to the table

One of the easiest and most cost-effective marketing strategies is to have giveaways and sweepstakes offers for your customers and leads. Not only will you grow your social community, but you will also increase sales. It is important to follow up with the winners in order to keep them interested.
When done correctly, social media marketing can have a reach well beyond traditional marketing methods for your business or brand. These tips will not only help you create more exposure, but will also drive more sales, convert leads, and even bring more traffic to your website.
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