Too many businesses are afraid of, intimidated by, or indifferent to social media—but the worst thing you can do is ignore the opportunity completely. It may take a little longer at first to get set up, but once you’re up and running, it really only takes a few minutes a day to succeed on social media. Here’s how!
1) Create Your Profiles – You certainly don’t have to have profiles everywhere, but a good place to start is Facebook, Twitter, & Google+. Then if you think it would be beneficial, you can add Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. later on.
2) Optimize Your Profiles – Make sure your location and contact information are filled in and that you include a short, search-optimized description of your business. The profile should also be visually appealing, which usually involves adding photos and your logo.
3) Post Regularly – Aim to post on all your social media networks at least once or twice a week. People are not going to like your page or follow you if they see you haven’t posted anything in months. Even if it’s just a “Happy Thanksgiving!” or a quick note about a sale you’re having, that’ ok.
4) Don’t Be Too Salesy – Post interesting, humorous, or informative things that are related to your industry. You want people to engage with your posts to increase your advertising reach, and your fans are much more likely to engage if you post about things they are interested in—and unfortunately, how amazing your company is probably isn’t one of those things. It’s ok to be promotional once in a while by talking about your products/services and linking to your website and blog posts, but be sure to mix it up.
5) Respond to Posts – If someone posts on your Facebook timeline or Tweets you a question, you need to respond to it promptly. People need to know there is an actual human being behind the scenes who cares about them as a customer, so set up email alerts to notify you if someone contacts you via social media and respond accordingly.
6) Don’t Be Shy – Ask your friends and family to like and follow your pages. Building an audience has to start somewhere! Also, don’t be afraid to ask people to share, like, +1, comment, retweet, etc. when you post.
7) Create a Custom URL – When you hit 25 fans, it’s time to claim a custom URL (like http://www.facebook.com/wordjack) and include it on brochures, signage, etc.
8) Make Special Offers – If you’re having a special sale or promotion, social media is a great place to advertise it. Just make sure that if you are having a contest or promotion via Facebook that you follow the rules, or your page could get shut down.
9) Run Paid Ads – Not all social media is free. Consider paid advertising on Facebook or Twitter to expand your reach.
10) Put Social Media Buttons on Your Website – Link to your social media profiles whenever possible, encouraging people to like and follow you and share your content.
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WordJack Media provides a wide range of website design and online marketing solutions to clients throughout Canada and the US, including Collingwood ON, Ottawa ON, Barrie ON, Miami FL, Lakeland FL, Orlando FL, Charlotte NC, Hickory NC, Asheville NC and more. Contact WordJack Media today for more information about how we can help your business win on the web!
