Social media is online communication that allows you to interact with your customers and share information in real time. This can help you to reach your customers better, create online networks and sell and promote your products and services.
It can be easy to get carried away when using social media for your business. It's wise to tread carefully and be aware of both the pros and cons before you start. Social media can help you engage with your customers and find out what people are saying about your business.
You can also use social media for advertising, promotional giveaways and mobile applications. Social media may not be suited to every business. If you are unprepared and launch your social media presence without planning, you could waste valuable time and money. Whatever the risks, having a social media strategy and preparing your policy and procedures carefully beforehand can help you manage them.
Not all social media platforms will be right for your business. Consider saving save time and effort by using social media tools that your customers use. Below is a brief guide to help you understand some of the options available.
Social networking sites allow you to create your own profile or page, network with others and share information including promotions, images and video. Creating a business profile can help you to attract followers, get new customers and develop your brand. Examples of social networking sites include Facebook , Pinterest and Instagram.
Job networking sites can be used to build a professional business profile and connect with networks of skilled people for recruitment and development. An example is LinkedIn. Blogs are online journals of thoughts, observations, promotions, links, images and videos.
Blogs are typically public. They allow readers to comment on posts and interact with you. You can host them in-house or through a blogging platform that provides the software and website hosting. Some examples of free blogging tools include Blogger and WordPress. Micro-blogs are used to send short messages to a network of followers. They can be useful if your business has a lot of information to share. Examples include Twitter and Tumblr. Video sharing sites let you upload and share your videos.
Users can then comment on and share your videos with others. Examples include YouTube and Vimeo. Podcasts are audio files with blog-style or lecture-style content. Your business type should inform and drive your social media marketing strategy.
Example of a drone company doing social media marketing on Instagram. For example, an e-commerce or travel business, being highly visual, can get a lot of value from a strong presence on Instagram or Pinterest. A business-to-business or marketing company might find more leverage in Twitter or Linkedin. The bigger and more engaged your audience is on social media networks, the easier it will be for you to achieve every other marketing goal on your list!
Ready to get started with marketing on social media? Here are a few social media marketing tips to kick off your social media campaigns. A great Facebook ad should be consistent with your whole brand image. Speaking of Facebook Ads, how is your account really performing? Different social media marketing sites require different approaches, so develop a unique strategy tailored for each platform.
Start by creating a Facebook Business Fan Page. You will want to pay careful attention to layout, as the visual component is a key aspect of the Facebook experience. Facebook is a place people go to relax and chat with friends, so keep your tone light and friendly. And remember, organic reach on Facebook can be extremely limited, so consider a cost-effective Facebook ad strategy , which can have a big impact on your organic Facebook presence as well!
Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media marketing trends. Pinterest allows businesses to showcase their product offerings while also developing brand personality with eye-catching, unique pinboards.
When developing your Pinterest strategy, remember that the social network's primary audience is female. If that's your demographic, you need a presence on Pinterest! Twitter is the social media marketing tool that lets you broadcast your updates across the web. Follow tweeters in your industry or related fields, and you should gain a steady stream of followers in return. Mix up your official tweets about specials, discounts, and news with fun, brand-building tweets.
Any company aimed at consumers, including travel, beauty and more, can do well on Instagram, but we are also seeing older, B2B companies like General Electric and IBM using Instagram. Patience and experimentation is key as you find the right formula that works for you. For example, spend time looking through popular hashtags to see if your post is a fit; so that more people can discover you.
Same thing goes for tagging other relevant accounts with an sign. You can find more tips in this excellent guide from DigitalTrends. Features like Instagram Stories , which allow you to tell, well, a story, using multiple photos and videos, are ways to use Instagram in a business environment. These stories last for 24 hours, which means time frame should be something you have to factor into your decision to make them.
Most of the time, you are better off creating visuals and graphics you can use on multiple platforms that will also have a longer shelf life. Instagram is all about getting existing and potential customers excited about what you do, so be sure to explore it. To learn about its business potential, take a look at its official guide.
As with many other platforms, job hunting on Instagram is about listening and interacting with relevant companies and individuals. A lot of what you see on Instagram is heavily produced with professional help, and your ability to replicate their scale and success is unlikely if you are working on your own. Once the hottest of the networks — thanks to its million users and a big I. Snapchat offers a variety of tools and tips for businesses, mostly built around paid ads.
Snapchat promotes how a range of companies have used the platform and also has an official business guide. These are just general guidelines for these five social media platforms. There are many others, with more niche audiences. A word of caution: Just keeping up the various platforms -- and coming up with multiple things to post every day -- can be exhausting. Sometimes, taking some time to lurk and analyze what other people and companies are doing can be a refreshing way to reevaluate what types of posts are most suitable for you and your business.
The best way to ensure success is to think carefully before you post, and constantly evaluate what you are posting and your overall online activities. You are unlikely to have time to dedicate to all these networks -- and whatever comes along next -- so you should pick and choose the ones that make most sense to you, your subject areas and your schedule. Sree Sreenivasan, a digital and social media consultant, is a former chief digital officer of Columbia University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the City of New York.
He's ending a social media posting hiatus with the publication of this guide. Twitter: sree. Why Social? Why Use Social Media? Social media was once mostly just for fun, but not any more.
Social media allows you to do at least four important things: Discover new ideas and trends. Connect with existing and new audiences in deeper ways Bring attention and traffic to your work. Build, craft and enhance your brand. LinkedIn This serious, professional social networking should not be ignored by individuals or businesses. Expanding Your Network and Influence LinkedIn offers a variety of ways to expand your network by finding and connecting with relevant professionals in your industry.
Building and Expanding a Business Depending on your business, LinkedIn offers a variety of ways to deploy it for companies — from recruiting to generating sales leads. Job Hunting Finding jobs is the most important part of LinkedIn for individuals, and you can use the network to track specific companies, people and job openings. Twitter The number of characters may have changed, but Twitter remains all about instant connections and sharing your ideas. Expanding Your Network and Influence The instantaneous nature of Twitter means you are able to: Know in real-time about developments in your areas of interest.
Share, comment and be part of a global conversation that extends beyond people you are friends with. Keep in Mind Following good grammar, spelling and punctuation rules will help you stand out and create a good impression. Twitter Bot — or Not? March 30, Facebook With the largest number of users, Facebook is a worldwide phenomenon beloved by both companies and your cousins.
0コメント