The Three Building Blocks of a Social Media Strategy

Are you overwhelmed with all of the social media choices available today? Do you struggle with choosing the best platform for your business? For the overworked and time crunched business owner, navigating the social media waters can be intimidating, challenging, and occasionally frustrating.

However, effectively using new technology and online marketing does not have to be overly complicated, expensive, or time consuming. A smart and efficient social media strategy can lead to:

• Better brand awareness
• Improved search engine ranking
• Opportunities to educate your customers
• Enhanced networking opportunities

Start with your goals

Where does one begin in social media and how can the various platforms drive more customers through the door? Before you jump in, you need to have a clear idea of your goals, audience and time available.

Action: Think about the following three questions and note your answer to each point.

1. What are your goals? For example:

• Do you want to rank for keywords?
• Are you seeking to educate your customers?
• Are you hoping to interact and build relationships?

Ideally, your social media strategy should address your prioritized goals, although your focus may switch, depending on your business environment at any given point in time.

2. Do you have a well-defined customer?

• Who is the person you are trying to connect with? What do they look like demographically?
  
  
• What are their psychographics? Meaning, what are their interests, experiences, likes and behaviors? Do they enjoy certain pastimes like food and wine, golf, or travel? Are they more business focused? Knowing this information can help inform the content you create as part of your social media strategy.
  
  
• On which sites does your ideal customer spend their time?

3. Are you able to dedicate the time required? (If you answer “no” to the questions below you might want to rethink your strategy, or outsource some of the work.) This includes:

• Taking a long term – think months and years, not days and weeks – outlook Committing to at least half an hour per day toward your social media efforts
  
  
• Developing the content to post to your social media channels
  
  
• Being consistent and timely

Using your answers to these questions you can now begin building a successful social media strategy for your business.

Basic Building Block 1 – Sharing Your Story

Now that you have identified your audience and the platforms they use, you can begin to share your business’s story. Content created as part of your social media marketing strategy should be developed in your own voice, written in an authentic manner, and used to educate your customers based on your expertise.

Action: Create content to resonate with your desired customer and at the same time assist you in ranking for critical keywords, bearing in mind your identified goals earlier. So if new leads are a focus, lean more heavily on keywords. If you want more relationships, don’t be afraid to be a little more personal in your voice and tone. When deciding which platforms can help you share your experiences, written content works best on one or two of the following: Wordpress, Google+, Facebook, or Tumbler. Additionally, sites such as YouTube, Instagram and Flickr are exceptional choices for video and photo media. If you are still determining which content will resonate with your audience, try a few different mediums and review your analytical information to see which your audience is drawn more toward.

Basic Building Block 2 – Reputation Management

One of the most critical components for business owners is the implementation of an online listening strategy. Simply put, this helps you track conversation, or “listen” online, and alerts you when your niche or even your business is being discussed.

Action: Create a Google Alert around your keywords and niche, or use a product such as Trackur, which has both paid and free options. If you’re a service provider, sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google+ do have an impact on the reputation of your business. Therefore, as part of your strategy, you should be monitoring your business on these platforms. Keep track of what’s being said each day and answer customer questions or respond to criticism in a timely manner. With information on the Internet being essentially permanent, a consistent focus here can deliver maximum impact.

Basic Building Block 3 – Relationship Building

Building direct and personal relationships is the all-important third building block of your social media platform strategy. Now that you have identified the platforms your customers are on and have been listening to their conversations, you can begin to network.

Action: Look for opportunities to provide answers on your identified networks, particularly on any customer service or product related issues being discussed. Also, actively reach out to influencers with a personalized note saying you would like to connect with them, or join relevant LinkedIn groups aimed at your target audience and monitor the discussions for a chance to network or provide advice. Online forums specific to your business also offer great opportunities for you to connect with customers in a targeted manner.

Remember, your best marketing happens when customers view themselves as part of your story. When it comes to social media for your business, there really are no quick fixes or magic bullets. The most successful small businesses on social media have a long-term commitment to audience growth with a persistent focus on valuable customer service and engagement. When small businesses seek to develop relationships and educate their customers in this way, they succeed.

(Note: If you (or someone you know) are seeking to hire someone with a diverse background -- I have owned a hotel in the Caribbean, worked in conflict resolution in the jungles of Papua New Guinea (as a Peace Corps volunteer), and wrote ProBlogger's Guide to Blogging for your Business. I'd love to connect with you here on LinkedIn - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/markwhayward.)