Social Media Marketing for Business

Business is booming. You’ve created a slick and sophisticated website. Your mobile site has a solid purpose and positive traffic. Yet for some reason your social media presence continues to languish.

While building a business without a social media presence is possible, social media is a great way to attract new customers, encourage customer loyalty and promote your business for free. Unfortunately, many businesses lack the finesse to truly dominate the social media world. Before throwing in the towel on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest and the rest, consider whether you’re repelling customers with these bad social media practices.

You’re Taking the “Social” Out of “Social Media”

Social media sites encourage interaction and discussion. However, posting 140-character ads and self-promotion all day doesn’t make for a very engaging presence to follow. In fact, all it does is clog front pages and annoy customers. No one wants their Facebook wall to feel like a free billboard.

Instead, turn it around by encouraging customer interaction through posting questions and surveys to facilitate discussion. Engage with your audience, both on your own social media account and on theirs. The appreciation received from a well-timed retweet or shared link is amazing. Don’t underestimate the benefits received by interacting with your fans.

You’re Boring

Ever find yourself reposting the same information over and over? Have you been guilty of constantly reposting the exact same message?  Never receiving any likes? Bored? Well, so are your fans. If you can’t get excited about your business on social media sites, no one else can either. Repeating yourself is the surest way to lose fans and will prevent attracting new ones. While some messages bear repeating, most don’t. New content is key.

Aim to post one engaging, important and thought-provoking piece per day to your social media accounts. Sign up for Google Alerts to get the most current news. Read industry pieces. Create your own images and infographics to grab fan attention. Much like launching a business, being successful on social media is work.

You Aren’t Repeat-Worthy

Social media giants are consistently posting great information or catchy images. George Takei is a great example of someone who has a solid social media following and is constantly posting images and information other people want to share. Find the big names of your industry and look at their social media sites for what makes “must read” information.

Assess your user base and target your information to them. Make it something they want their friends, fans and followers to share. Infographics are a great way to convey information in an interesting format that encourages reading over a traditional text post. Don’t be afraid of utilizing images with short, catchy blurbs. Make yourself worthy of a following.

Your Fans Can’t Find You

Usernames and descriptionsfall into Social Media 101. Your username needs to be something simple that loyal customers can easily deduce. Your description should be succinct and keyword rich. Location and logo should be prominent. While you may prefer your personal social media accounts to stay private, your business should be prominent.

Do a quick search for your business. If your social media accounts aren’t showing up in the first couple of pages, you have a basic problem that’s stopping you from attracting fans. If your description is accurate, it may be time for a name change. Treat your social media accounts like an SEO article. Don’t repeat yourself, but have all the pertinent information in the open.

You Don’t Understand Hashtags

Notably on Twitter and increasingly on Facebook, hashtags are key. While your eyes may hate the complicated lexicon on these sites, it’s important to understand it and be able to utilize it to increase your following. Hashtags provide an easy way for users to see what’s trending and follow those trends. You may have important information about trending topics, but if you don’t use a hashtag, no one will see it.

Learn about hashtags and start using them in your daily updates. Create your own hashtag with your business name or message to allow users to link to your business. You can also search the hashtag to find new followers. Go one step further by commenting on trending topics to get in on the discussion and onto the radar of like-minded users.

Social media accounts are a great way to market your business and create a relationship with your fans. Don’t waste time on social media sites when no one is listening. Instead, make your time worthwhile by learning how to attract and keep users on your sites.

Meet Ken Myers

Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.