by David BruceAs you develop your social media strategy, it is critical that you decide what you want to get out of your campaign. What are your goals?
As you develop your social media strategy, it is critical that you decide what you want to get out of your campaign. What are your goals?
If your intent is to merely promote your brand, you might be better off sticking to the Yellow Pages or newspaper advertising.
When you make the choice to launch a social media campaign, you are also choosing to engage with your social media community. This means moving beyond the notion of self-promotion. Who you are and what you have to offer will become evident as you engage with other professionals and consumers.
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn allow you to share your academic achievements and marketable skills; however, your professional inventory largely remains a part of the background. How you engage with professionals and consumers on these various social media platforms determines your level of reach, and ultimately guides them to you as a trusted source for goods and services.
When you “like” something or someone, when you “follow” an individual or organization, and when you retweet and share the posts of other users, you give the social media community a sense of who you are. You are not necessarily promoting yourself and your services as much as you are establishing relationships and networking. And this level of engagement must be maintained.
Just as brick-and-mortar businesses consider location and product placement critical in terms of visibility (and therefore, profitability), you must remain virtually visible. Regular blog posts and social interaction remind your followers that you are engaged. Your reach will rise and fall based on your level of engagement with your social media community.
When you set your social media strategy goals, consider what you want to communicate and with whom you want to communicate. Stand out by engaging with your audience, bringing your personality, your voice and your ideas to the ongoing dialogue that is social media.