7 tips for a successful Social media marketing strategy

So you have recently engaged yourself into social media to promote your business , but have you been doing it in a time effective and a strategic manner ? These are the questions you need to ask yourself, because honestly social media can be both an effective marketing tool and a time thief, so it depends on how you use it . Here are some ideas to help you build a better relationship with your customers and to increase your business online.

1. Facebook

Yes, Facebook is casual and a little less professional , but it can obviously be leveraged for marketing purposes. The first thing you need to do is to make a business fan page . The User interface and the visual component is a key aspect here. Post articles related to your industry , videos and interesting links you think the audience might find useful . Give out special offers once in awhile to all those who like your page . Post funny or quirky poll questions related to your product , ask your customers to share feedback , images of the products they bought . Integrate Facebook apps to your fan page , apps let you do all sorts of things without having any coding knowledge . You can run contests and offers , import your blog , collect email sign ups , even sell through eCommerce and most importantly provide the much needed customer support.

2. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the more professional social media marketing websites out there. Try to find LinkedIn groups which can be used to get into a professional dialog with people in similar industries and provide a place to share content with like minded individuals. Once you are a member of these groups, you are able to directly contact other members of the group.  By starting and participating in discussions on these groups, you can showcase your expertise and make real connections. Regularly search the Answers section of LinkedIn and look for questions that you can answer related to your online business (if you frequently answer questions that are rated highly by other LinkedIn users, you could earn the title of Expert for that particular topic).

Bonus tip - If you are just starting out , then do not go for the premium LinkedIn account straight away , LinkedIn gives a 1 Month subscription to the premium account to every member ,try that first then move on to the paid plan if you require it .

3. Twitter

In my opinion, presently the best social marketing tool . Yes it is ‘micro blogging site’ but when you look at the number of active people , it becomes clear that there is big scope for interaction .The best thing about twitter is that there is no need to join groups or like pages, just use hash-tags which are related to your business and your posts will be broadcasted to all the like minded people. Search for those specific hash-tags , then find topics and discussions which fit your bill and start interacting. Solve doubts posted by people which are related to your business and initiate discussions using these hash-tags to widen your circle . Re-tweet other people’s tweets , tweet interesting things about your products , give out links to great articles . Mix up your tweets by giving out special discounts ,offers , posting news with some funny and amusing content. Using Twitter as a social media marketing tool revolves around dialog and communication, so be sure to interact as much as possible .Be meticulous and you will soon find that your followers will increase day by day , thus giving your brand , much better credibility and increasing your fan following

4.  YouTube

It might not seem much , but YouTube is a very good medium for social marketing.Create a YouTube channel for your online business and regularly add fun and useful videos and then encourage customers to view and share your videos with others. Every once in a while, post a short “how to video”  of yourself offering tips for your customers, such as demonstrating how to use a product that you sell. These how-to videos also have the added benefit of ranking on the video search results of Google, so don't underestimate the power of video content. You can even make videos of your loyal customers where they would say what they think of your products and services. Potential customers would much rather watch what other customers say than listen to company employees blabbering on about themselves.

5. Start a Blog

Blogs are a great way to get traffic on your website and to regularly interact with your customers.  They also allow you to present yourself as an expert in the field.  However, keep in mind that blogs require a consistent time investment.  If you don’t have time to keep it up, hire somebody who does. Your company blog can also serve as your social media marketing blog, in which you blog about your recent social media efforts, contests, and events.    

6. Think of quality and not quantity

Marketing via social media can become very tricky if you try and manage many channels at once. It's better to become a master of one or two channels than flounder in many.

Social platforms allow you to establish your expertise and brand credibility and also provide a method for feedback and discussion . Some examples include YouTube, slideshare , blogging. Whether you run a B2B (business to business) or B2C ( business to consumer ) business , i think it's important to keep in mind not to venture out into too many platforms and networks at once, developing a deep engagement with your potential customers is the key. As you start mastering channels, you can then start to expand your horizons.

7. Use Google Analytics to get Social Media Metrics

Whenever you share a link in a social media channel , use Google Analytics to see not only how many people are visiting your website, but also where they are coming from.  For example, you may be spending the same amount of time on Twitter and Facebook but it is a possiblity that one of the two is generating a more traffic. Knowing this, you can make the decision to move more towards Facebook with your time or possibly re-evaluate your Twitter strategy for better results. Either way, you need to be tracking your results to better manage your valuable time

The need for social media marketing

As of 30th June 2013, Facebook had 82 million users in India with 75% on mobile and they believe  that the next billion will come via mobile. Such staggering statistics point to the fact that the power of the mobile and the internet is growing at a very fast pace in India. Social media has become an active platform for people not just for recreational purposes but for businesses and networking alike. Long gone are the days when print and electronic media were the major sectors for marketing purposes, people are now leveraging the social media for promoting their business in a big way. 

Blogs , Facebook and twitter pages are some of the ways which entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts are looking at to expand their venture in an effective and cost friendly way. In this day and age everyone wants to look things up online before buying something and our friend Google agrees with this theory . According to a recent report from Fleishman-Hillard, The company found that 89 percent of consumers turn to Google, Bing or another search engine to find information on products, services or businesses prior to making purchases.

A Study shows that companies which blog get 55% more traffic as compared to those which don’t.Ultimately traffic is what brings in leads ,so it is very simple to understand the value of posting content online which your potential customers can relate to. Posting newer and fresher content is also a tried and tested way to rank higher on Google search results, for which some companies end up paying thousands of dollars , but in reality can be achieved by posting fresh and helpful content for your audience , because if they like what you are posting , they are obviously more inclined to come back again . Just remember that content reigns king as far as social media marketing is concerned. People today want to be part of a business which markets themselves proactively .

Social media marketing is not only a source for businesses to market themselves online , it’s also an easy way for them to interact with their customers, solve their doubts and questions , increase their reach  and thereby improve their brand credibility in the eyes of the customers. This is something which was unheard of half a decade ago , but today has become quite a norm and the major players in the market are turning towards this option to expand and further establish themselves.

According to Google, 97 percent of consumers search for local businesses online.So if you have a small business and want to expand, then being online is the place for you because your customers are online and you should be too. Posting stuff about your business, latest products ,trends , offers , are some of the means by which you can engage your customers online . So get out there , start blogging, make Facebook and twitter fan pages for your customers and most importantly update them regularly. If you decide to update your  content once in a week then stick to that routine because marketing is a work in progress and so keep at it. Start getting creative and have fun , and don’t be afraid to get unconventional.