The Bend Chamber Business Success Council recently presented a seminar to educate local businesses about Social Media Marketing (SMM). The event was informative and interactive, and we received great feedback from attendees about the valuable instruction. There’s just one problem—you want more information.
You’ve asked for more details, more guidance and more hands-on help. In response to your requests, the Business Success Council is discussing a follow-up event in the next few months. In the meantime, I’d like to offer you a few tips for launching your business into the social media arena, or strengthening your presence if you are already Facebooking, Twittering, using LinkedIn, etc.
1) Formulate your strategy.
You wouldn’t enter a job interview without a polished resume (and perhaps a haircut), yet many businesses jump onto Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn without appropriate preparation. Effective marketing requires strategy in any arena. Ask yourself the following two questions. What do I want social media to do for my business? Who is my target audience?
Know your goals and know your audience. Then make sure you have a clear brand message and a plan for how you will communicate that message—not just once, but consistently. You must engage your audience on a regular basis. If you rush into SMM but cannot maintain momentum, the people who lose interest are not likely to come back (even if you get your act together later).
2) Grasp the essentials.
Michael Jordan said, “…get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”
Mr. Jordan illustrates my point beautifully. In order to play the SMM “game” effectively, you’ve got to study the game itself, understand its rules, find yourself a good coach, and practice.
For free tutorials and tips about Facebook, I recommend social media maven Mari Smith. Just go to HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/marismith”http://www.facebook.com/marismith. Click “Free Facebook Resources” on the left of her page. The best place to start for Twitter is at HYPERLINK “http://support.twitter.com/”http://support.twitter.com. Just go to “Twitter Basics” to get started. For LinkedIn, go to HYPERLINK “http://learn.linkedin.com/”http://learn.linkedin.com.
Next, examine other businesses that are doing it right. Round Butte Seed HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/roundbutteseed”www.facebook.com/roundbutteseed, CE Lovejoy’s Brookswood Market HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/celovejoys”www.facebook.com/celovejoys and Roy’s Adventures HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/roysadventures”www.facebook.com/roysadventures are three business right here in Central Oregon with which Incyte Marketing is working. Although these are young Facebook sites, notice the frequency and conversational tone of the posts, the use of photos, videos and special offers, and the customized pages for selling products and services. Read the comments and discussions that are being generated. Talk to these fellow chamber members and find out what they are learning. While you’re at it, please “Like” their pages and follow them as they develop successful social media presences.
3) Take action!
Talk with local social media professionals to acquire specific advice on maximizing the power of your social media presence. Consider hiring a reputable firm to actively market and manage your social media. While researching firms, look for a group that’s well-versed in marketing strategy, creative communications (they must produce appealing marketing copy!) and integration of social media with traditional media. Remember this: technical knowledge of Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn won’t build a business. Your marketing representative must be able to manage your SMM with the big picture in mind.
Lastly, have fun! After all, that’s why most people use social media. If you are having fun with your company’s social media, so will your customers!
