10 ways to make Social Media work for you

Have you embraced Social Media yet?

If you haven’t and are feeling a little lost on what it can do for you, here are some pointers for you.

Firstly, what is social media?

Social Media is quite new in terms of how long it has been around. It is essentially a way to create some hype or buzz about a product, service, news story and pretty much anything else you can think of that you wish to let others know about.

Social Media can be viral, which means that by its very nature, you are able to share stories with others who you think will be interested – they can then do the same. Before you know it, your story can have been seen by hundreds or thousands of people!

So how can you get Social Media to work for you?

1) Hire a Social Media Strategist
This is a little extreme for most really as these are people who specialise in the on-line social world and how to get the most from it. However, unless you have spare budget for this, then it is something most organisations are not bothering with and much prefer to maintain their own Facebook, Twitter and Digg accounts (this is far from a comprehensive list of SM sites!)

2) Make your posts & stories interesting
Never create a post that is blatant advertising. You want to create a story that has interest to your audience but by all means add a link to your website as a credit for the article you created. This is more than enough to do to entice others to want to visit you.

3) Make your stories original
Never copy content! This is one very quick way to ruin your reputation before you have started. However, you might have seen an article that you think you can do a much better job of. This is OK as long as the content is completely fresh and more informative / useful. Just remember, never copy any content at all!

4) Build trust
Trust is a hard thing to build on-line. Remember that people cannot see you – they cannot read your body language – they cannot shake your hand when you first meet them. You have to achieve a level of trust to be taken seriously and to get people to take notice of what you are saying.

5) Join Communities
Communities, such as forums, are a great place to get to know people and to get your brand out there. However, don’t just jump in there with both feet. Remember that you might be joining a forum with a lot of members who already know each other. Introduce yourself and start to join in with discussions but never start by trying to point out everyone else is wrong.

6) Create a Blog
This is something every company should now be doing. Blogs are great because they allow you to post on topics that you know about without forcing your opinions down anyone else’s throat. People choose to read what they want. However, make your blog posts interesting so that people will want to come back and read more.

7) Participate and interact with your followers / audience
One of the most important things with any on-line social activity is to engage others in conversation but never ever be rude! Remember that it is very easy to post something negative but almost impossible to remove it. Someone may have already posted a rude comment somewhere else, or perhaps it cannot be edited – this now sticks with you. Take the time to read and re-read your posts anywhere and remember your manners at all time.

Don’t think it will be a waste of time
Never start anything with a negative outlook. Social Media can be hugely powerful if done correctly, just remember to follow a few golden rules and watch what can happen!

9) Be consistent
If you start, don’t think that one post will change your world – you have to keep on top of social media and keep posting new articles. However, this doesn’t mean to say it needs to be done daily either! You might only have the time to do this once every week, but try and make the time to do this on a regular basis so that you get recognised. People will start to get used to seeing your posts.

10) Build your brand
One of the most important things here but has to be done carefully. Never mention your brand in every quote – never try and spam your name about. Keep your posts on topic, factual and interesting. Your brand is as important on-line as it is off-line. Trust comes into this as well because people are more likely to do business with someone who they see as an authority on a subject.

Done right, Social Media can help with many aspects of your business but be prepared to put the time into it.

iNET SEO specialise in Social Media & Search Engine Marketing and Traffic Retention