Social Media

Social Media

Many social media sites started out as personal sites but social media marketing has become one of the most powerful online strategies for businesses, online and offline.

In 2002, Friendster was launched in the U.S and then in 2003 MySpace began.

Next to be launched was Facebook in 2004. Facebook was originally started for students but quickly spread to be much more. Twitter was born two years later in 2006. Pinterest, said to be the fastest growing site ever, was launched in 2010.

All these sites, along with others, have become powerhouses in social media marketing. As each year passes the possibilities continue to grow and expand. There probably are not many businesses left that do not engage in social media marketing.

These social sites are continually growing, expanding and changing and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with these changes. Below are the top ten tips to help your social media marketing in 2013.

1. Make your posts more relevant - When people first started using the social sites they were posting things like "Going shopping today with the kids. Wish me luck!" The social sites have grown and changed. You need to start posting more relevant information. Make it about your readers and followers, not about you. Post solutions, inspiration, and interesting facts that can be useful and helpful.

2. Utilize features and tools - Social sites are increasing the possibilities for your business with more tools and features than ever before. Take stock of all these tools and learn to use them for the benefit of your followers and your business.

3. Visual Marketing - Marketing is going visual and you need to do the same. Embed text and your business info in relevant graphics to post. Pinterest, using image sharing, has broken records with its growth. Pictures are also the mostly widely used and shared method of posting on Facebook. When people share your images you want them to see your website link or other relevant info.

4. Help Your Clients/Readers - No matter what business you are in, you cannot provide solutions to all your clients' needs. Be willing to post links, information and resources of other businesses that can help your clients where you cannot.

5. Use Your Analytics - Review your analytics regularly to see what is working and what isn't. Are people visiting one social site more than others? When are people visiting your pages? Find out everything you can from your results. You can learn a lot from your analytics but you must utilize them to reap the benefits.

6. Host Events - Hold regular events such as giveaways, seminars, chats, networking parties, promotions, etc. Facebook has recently updated their event feature so it is easier and more efficient.

7. Connections Not Sales - Use your social media pages to connect with your potential customers not for sales. You want to use social media to share information, respond to questions and comments and to showcase what your business is about. You don't want to continually bombard your social sites with sales pitches and ads. Help your followers find solutions, do not pitch to them.

8. Slideshare - Slideshare is predicted to be the fastest growing social site in 2013. Slideshare will allow you to share your presentations with millions. You can also share documents, PDFs and videos. The possibilities are endless with this Slideshare.

9. Google+ - Google+ will be more important to your business. By being on Google+, you will be able to take full advantage of Google's many services and tools. It hasn't the social power of some of the other sites but it is a central part of Google and you should be a part of it.

10. Use Fewer Social Sites - Concentrating your marketing efforts to a few of the better producing sites is more effective than spreading yourself too thin over many of the social sites. The time it takes to successfully participate in social media is substantial so you need to build a strong presence on the sites that deliver rather than trying to dominate them all.

Social media marketing is expected to reach new and unequaled heights in 2013. Don't let your business be left behind. Become active with social media. Really get involved. Make new connections and post relevant visual items. Make it about your followers and clients, not about what cereal you had for breakfast!

Building A Strong Presence On Social Media

Are your customers likely to use social networks? If so, it will be to your advantage to use this platform to promote your products or services. The five tips discussed in this article will help you make the most of social media marketing.

Tip #1: Join social networks your customers use.

Facebook and Twitter are the two most popular networks, but that doesn't mean they are your followers' favorite networks. If your audience is diverse, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are safe choices, but your best bet is to survey your audience to find out which networks they use the most. They may prefer a network popular among their subculture or age group. Also, they might use more than one network regularly.

Tip #2: Adapt your social media marketing campaign to your audience.

Your customers may log into social networks several times a day or check in only a few times a week. Synchronize your postings to their schedule. If the former is true, post new information several times a day. On the other hand, if the latter is true, its best to limit your postings to a couple updates a week. Get feedback from your subscribers to make sure you are in sync.

Tip #3: Focus on providing quality content.

Share links to your articles or videos, post pictures of your products and provide useful and interesting resources that interest your subscribers. Use different formats to share your content keeping in mind pictures and videos are easiest to notice. Never share content from your competitors' sites. Note which topics or formats get the most attention and share more similar content.

Tip #4: Encourage customers to connect with you.

Of course you want to promote your social media marketing campaign as much as possible. Do that by adding your social media logo on your business card and in the signature of your emails. Add links to your profiles on your site or blog and make sure you mention social networks as a way of contacting you for questions or comments. Also, present your campaign as a way to get discounts and exclusive information about your products.

Tip #5: Interact with your subscribers on social networks.

Interacting with your followers is one of the surest ways to guarantee success. Get your subscribers to interact with you as much as possible. Share content people will want to share with their friends. Post polls, debate questions or entertaining content to get a reaction. Make sure everything you share conveys a positive image of your brand and never share content that could be shocking. Most important, take the time to thank subscribers who comment or share your content.

Using these tips will help you develop a strong social media presence. But to really make them work for you requires you track your results, make adjustments where necessary and stay connected with your followers. You can boost your sales significantly using a relevant and strategic social media marketing campaign.