Once a business owner decides that building a strong, consistent social media presence is vital to his marketing efforts and overall business growth, the next set of steps to “going social” involve choosing which social media platforms to use, building out your social profiles and engaging with customers and prospective customers.
Of those 3 items, it’s typically the engagement piece that can seem the most daunting.
Entering the social media realm means there is new terminology to understand. There are several social media best practices to learn, and some of those best practices vary from platform to platform. There’s learning how to craft a strong social media update. And there’s also the challenge of knowing what times are best to post and what to post about.
The good news: You know more about social media strategy than you think!
How can I be so sure of this? Well, because you are also a consumer. And you have your own interests and social media usage habits.
What times of day do you log onto Facebook? Or Twitter? Or Pinterest? Or Google Plus?
What types of updates do you “like”? Or retweet? Or repin? Or +1?
What do you like to talk about on social media?
What makes you laugh?
What social media habits annoy you?
What topics of conversation do you always avoid?
What types of updates do you share with your social connections?
Does Twitter feel more casual to you than Facebook? Do you find you “talk shop” most often when you are on Google Plus?
Your answers to questions like these will provide you with an amazing amount of relevant, targeted information regarding the best social media strategy for your business. So don’t fear creating a social media strategy for your business; chances are the answers are right in front of you.
*Photo credit Stefan Erschwendner
