Online marketing is about much more than introducing carefully selected keywords and phrases into content to optimize for organic search; or build up backlin
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3 tips to kick-start your company's social media
Social media marketing is one of those things that most entrepreneurs and small business owners wonder if they really need.
In general, my answer is yes, but I need to qualify that by saying that the amount of time, effort and cash you invest must be proportional to the returns you want (and can realistically achieve).
I serve on the board of a wonderful not-for-profit, registered charity, and we have utilized the tools and technologies provided by the Web, and in particular, social media, to drive visibility, engagement, and awareness that would simply be out of reach otherwise.
So, yes, your business (even if it is not for profit) does need social media, but it may not be in the way you think.
Check out our 3 top tips to help guide your first few steps into this exciting but challenging world.
1. Re-align your expectations
I think the first, and arguably most important, point is to understand how social media can be harnessed for business, and what the returns might be.
It is not a good tool for driving direct sales. If you're thinking about sharing all your latest deals and products on Twitter, let me save you some time and effort. Stop right now.
You aren't going to make money directly. And, what's worse, you aren't even going to make money quickly.
So why bother?
Here's what it will do for your company in the long run (if you do things right):
- build a loyal, connected, and engaged base of clients/customers/fans/followers
- leverage existing connections to extend your reach and visibility
- help provide authority and trust (tangible proof)
- combine with other marketing initiatives to improve returns and profits
The first point here is the most important because it kind of demonstrates why social media is not a silver bullet for online retail. Simply put; people aren't interested in reading sales pitches.
They want to belong to community that interests them and offers value. If you can provide that, they become your very own army of marketers, and that's when your business starts to benefit.
2. Work out how to build a community
When you sit down to work out what the objectives of any campaign should be, it's important to understand that the only way to succeed on social is to foster a community.
Our non-profit does this by offering advice and support to other activists and anyone else who needs help fighting for the same cause around the world. We have regional "leaders" in over 60 countries who are actively included in any issue that arises in their region.
This gives them responsibility and encourages them to make the effort - remember, they are volunteers. They in turn support local newcomers who are in turn encouraged and rewarded for their efforts with welcomes and congratulations shared worldwide... all via social media.
The power of this community is staggering. And, from our base in the southern tip of Africa, we end up contributing to real change across the globe every day. It's wonderful. There's a fantastic example of this in action (which will soon be included in a wildlife documentary) at A tale of two lion cubs in Spain, if you're interested.
With that in mind, there is an all-important question that must be answered before you can even get started with setting up accounts and tweeting, sharing, pinning, etc. In essence, find out what it is that your niche market needs, and provide it.
What can you share that will build a community around your business?
Some big commercial brands are getting this strategy absolutely right, and Harley Davidson comes to mind here. Harley builds local communities of customers on a per suburb or town-wide basis. From there, they offer tours, parties, and tonnes of other engagements all centered around their stores.
This is a brilliant concept because it turns a one-time buyer into a lifelong community member who is going to splash out on all the accessories, buy a new bike at some stage, and generally be a great advocate for their brand. Sure, not everything is done via online... but you can't disagree, the basis of this strategy is social.
This leads neatly to my final point...
3. Integrate
There is absolutely no point in working hard on social media if it isn't well integrated into your existing business and other marketing strategies. If you post all your best news directly to Twitter, then sure, people will start following you on Twitter, but essentially you are promoting Twitter itself as a source of news.
Instead, take the time to create content - write great articles, make video clips, whatever is most appropriate. Social media is a platform for you to share your voice and grow a community. But it's not the community itself. It's not your voice. The content you create is your voice, and the customer service, newsletters, events, networking, etc, forms the kernel of your community.
For example, you must absolutely implement email marketing, if you are going to focus on the Internet as a platform to promote your enterprise. Learn more at email marketing for small business.
Content, in tandem with email marketing, and shared and promoted online provides an holistic way to grow your business. It takes time. It takes work. But it does work.
Has your company worked with social media? How did you fare? What advice and suggestions do you have for other SMEs? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Here's the thing about moving traditional customers online; you have to find innovative marketing strategies and ideas to get them to migrate.
If you're in the business of making and selling unique stuff then the marketing strategies you use should reflect the creativity of your products in order to reach out to the right people.
Fortunately the Internet is full of the "right people" just waiting to place an order. But your message has to find them in the right place in the right way.
That's why it pays to think creatively about marketing instead of following the pack and doing the same old "tried and tested" things.
When I started my first company some years ago I placed all my focus on creating a great offering, but almost no effort went into sales and networking. Needless to say that it took an incredibly long time to get off the ground - 6 years in fact.
During that time I learned a lot about how business works, and my focus has shifted almost completely onto sales, marketing and networking.
Nowadays, a good idea with a quality product backed by excellent service is the bare minimum required to succeed. Because there is so much competition (especially online), what sets companies apart these days is how effectively they can network and promote themselves.
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Content marketing is not only important for getting your content read by other people.
One of its primary purposes is to help establish authority so that your content enjoys high page rankings and gets plenty of organic search traffic from Google.
The first time I started an online business I spent the vast majority of my time actually creating the service.
Any company that outsources their customer service is being silly, and are inviting competitors to swoop in and pilfer their client base.
Customer service is one of the few real opportunities you have to forge a solid relationship with people. Why on earth would you want to hand it over to someone else (who hides you from the people that sustain your business)?
And while handling customer complaints and queries can seem like a chore, it can be converted into one of the most powerful marketing strategies available to you.
I am an ardent supporter of creating great quality content that ranks well in Google search for marketing purposes.
Recently, however, I have been forced to concede that organic traffic from Google is no longer reliable enough.
Since 2012 Google's search results have been in upheaval, and while the general thrust of the changes are to improve search results and cut out spam, there has been significant collateral damage along the way.
