If you own a small business then I’m sure you are just like me ~ always looking for innovative ways to get exposure for your business.  In today’s economy the small business owner really needs to find cost effective ways to market while still getting a big bang for their buck ~ and social media is a great way to do just that!  Marketing on the main social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be a great cost effective way to get your brands  message out there to the masses…but knowing how to do it can sometimes be a challenge.  So today I wanted to share with you…

10 tips for social media marketing success

  1. Always know your target market: Find where they hang out online, and get in front of them in a big way.  Are they in online forums, Facebook groups, community based Fan Pages, “your niche” based blogs? Find them and start connecting with them.
  2. Present your brand in an inviting and professional way:  If you want people to take your business seriously then you need to look like a professional business…so make sure you take the time to get a professional look.  I suggest branding your website, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Background, and even YouTube pages to all represent your brand  the same way..so your branding is consistent throughout.  That way when someone sees your brand it instantly connects them to what your business represents just by seeing your brand image.
  3. Be Active, Be Everywhere!:  The more of a presence you have online the more exposure for your business.  So set up a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter Page, YouTube, a Blog, and a LinkedIn account ~ and then be active on them every single day…making connections and building your business!
  4. Be The Go To Person in your Niche: Be helpful, informative, and the go to person for top information in your market.  Post helpful information based on your market. What do they want and need to know?  If you are the one always providing the info they need then you will be the one they come to when they want to know what is relevant in your niche.  Become the Expert!
  5. Build a Community of Like Minded People:  People love to connect and network with other people with related interests.  Why not be the one to provide them with that?  Whether it be in a group on Facebook, through a Tweetup, or even creating a forum for your niche…if you provide it they will come..and then you can benefit from those connections!
  6. Get Connected and Build Relationships: Just having an account on Facebook and Twitter does not mean you are using it to market…you have to get out there in a big way and start building those relationships.  Start by building your networks with targeted people…remember an ultra targeted network is better than just a huge untargeted one.  You need to be talking to people who care about what you have to say or it’s all just a big waste of time.  So build your network with targeted people within your niche and then start to connect with them by …Retweeting their posts, liking their fan pages, commenting on their blogs, commenting on their Facebook posts, anything you can do to show you appreciate what they have to offer and you would like to connect more.
  7. Be Consistent with your efforts:  Remember Rome was not built in a day and either are successful businesses!  I did not start being successful with my social media marketing efforts until I consistently made an effort at it ever single day..whether it be adding 10 new friends to one of your accounts each day, or posting 1-3 times per day, sharing your blog posts with your Fans and followers, or even just commenting on someone else’s posts daily…pick something as a goal to do daily and then stick to it …and increase it as you can (although I do suggest being a little more aggressive then this if you want to have a real effect)
  8. Minimize your efforts while maximizing your reach:  Social media marketing takes time and effort…some of which most small business owners don’t have much of (the time part I mean) so you want to make sure your efforts are having as much reach as possible…so create a system to automate the process…post once on your blog and have it automatically reach all of your Social Pages at once.
  9. Connect with the Top Dogs in your Niche:  In business there will always be someone who knows more, has been more successful, or just a bit more experienced in what you do. That’s just life ~ but the key to taking advantage of that fact in social media is that you can connect with them, build a relationship, learn from them, and grow from just being in their space.  So find the experts in your field on Twitter and Facebook and make a connection..you never know where that connection will lead!
  10. If You Can’t or Don’t Want to do all of this stuff yourself ~ Hire someone who can:  Social Media Marketing in today’s business world is too important to ignore.  It is a key marketing strategy that every business should be using to the best of their abilities.  The down part is that it can be time consuming and alot of small business owners just don’t have the time it takes to make their strategy effective.  If that sounds like you then think about assigning your social media marketing to an employee or even hiring a social media manager to handle it all for you.  No matter what you do just make sure you are utilizing the benefits of this cost effective and profitable marketing strategy!

To Your Social Media Marketing Success!

Kate Wilber

The Marketing Momma