Social media &
7 Rules for Social Media Success
Filed under: Facebook, Guest Posts, Ideas, Social Media, Twitter
As social media continues to grow and evolve, many businesses are finding it more and more difficult to stand out and get results. The reality is that with over 88% of businesses now participating in social media it is harder than ever to stand out and get noticed.
1. Praticipate
“Join the conversation” and “engage” are social media success tips that have been around since the beginning of social media marketing. That being said, most businesses focus on what they are posting and don’t even think about how they participate. For my latest book I interviewed businesses about their success on Instagram and participation was one of the key factors for success. Businesses that were successful spent time on Instagram liking and commenting on the photos of other people instead of just posting their own content.
2. Mix it Up
Some social media accounts post the same things day after day. Mix up your content and try different things. For example on Twitter an account may have some posts of unique content but should also include some replies and retweets. On Facebook each day shouldn’t bring the same posts – try mixing questions, quotes, articles and images to keep your content fresh and interesting.
3. Be Timely and Leverage Pop Culture
One of the best ways to be relevant is to be timely and reference things that are actually going on in a creative way. For example, during the US Presidential election we posted trivia about how the presidential candidates used social media. On Fridays we post social media tips – around holidays we make our tips relevant to the holiday and they get more likes and comments. Show that you pay attention to the world and make your content interesting by leveraging recent news (in an appropriate way).
4. Be Relevant
People don’t follow your brand on social networks to be advertised at. They follow you because they like you and they assume that you will add value to their lives. Consider your audience on social media and ask yourself if your content is valuable to them? Is it useful? Interesting? Helpful? Entertaining?
5. Be Consistent
Consistency is important in all aspects of marketing and brand building, but especially in social media. I still meet many businesses that have created accounts on Facebook and Twitter but don’t update them with any regularity. Results in social media come from a consistent effort over time, not from occasional posts. Additionally, if your business has created social media assets that are abandoned, these could work against you. For example, if I view a Facebook page for a business that only has 32 likes and hasn’t updated in a few months, I’ll probably have a negative impression of the business, and I may even wonder if they are still around. Keep your social media assets up-to-date.
6. Use Images
Images are becoming the top way to break through the clutter and get results from social media. I realized this a few months ago, and wrote an entire book on Visual Social Media Marketing. The reality is that images are the most clicked on content on Facebook and Twitter and increasingly images are the content that is shared and spreads online. This means that regardless of your social media strategy you must have a strategy for images.
7. You Get out What You Put In
If social media was free and easy we’d all be millionaires. The reality is that you get out what you put in. You won’t get amazing results without research and interacting with your audience. There is no simple and easy formula. It takes work, time and effort. Your social media plan should include connecting with others and dedicating time to use best practices and understand the content that your audience wants.
Author bio: Kim Quindlen
Image Credit: freedigitalphotots
Posted on: February 4, 2013
