7 Ways to Do Social Media Right

Very few small businesses are really “nailing it” on social media, and a big reason is that it can be extremely time consuming. We all know the challenges of maintaining an active social presence while also running a business. Here are some things that can help make the job of succeeding on social a little easier.

1. Focus on Current Customers – We talked about this a few weeks ago but your time needs to focus on getting your current customers to come back in vs. trying to get new followers. Studies show that current customers who are fans spend more money at your business so given them incentives on social to come back in and reward and thank them for their business publicly.
2. Target Your Effort – Don’t be social everywhere because depending on your business, you have no business being on some platforms. Focus on where your customers are. It is likely Facebook will be your main channel but it’s possible you have some following in other places so ask them and focus time there.
3. Turn off the Watering Hose – Otherwise known as “spray and pray,” more traditional advertising was about casting a wide net and hoping to reel in the right people that are interested in your products and services. But you don’t take this approach with web advertising – it’s just too easy to segment and target your message. Resist the temptation of blasting out everything to everyone and create focused and targeted campaigns aimed at specific people.
4. Think about Social from the Get-Go – From the moment you decide to launch something new in your business, think about how you are going to use social to promote it.
5. Don’t Duplicate Your Offline Campaigns – Social is about connections. Don’t think of this as a place to show your TV ad. Think of it as a place for you to make a connection and create a dialogue with your fans.
6. Always, Always, Always Think like a Customer – Wear the customer hat in everything you do on social. What would you want to see if you were a customer of your own business? Your customers don’t want to be sold to on social – they want entertainment, conversation, and relevant news.
7. Never, Never, Never Buy Fans – Don’t offer special things to your current customers if they get others to follow or buy in. This is supposed to be a natural process. Make Liking and Following easy and give people a reason why but never do it through a blackmail type process.