10 Guidelines to Successful Social Media Results

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You need a plan for your social media, maybe you aren’t getting results you like or you want to get started but have NO idea what to do. Here are 10 Guidelines help you get the results you want. I’m being 100% transparent, these guidelines are how SRB Solutions gets results for our clients and you can create lots of success for your business too by implementing them today.
1. Research which social media sites your ideal customers are spending the majority of their time and concentrate your efforts there. How to do this?
a. Spend some time on each of the social media sites search for topics your ideal customers search for and see what kind of information and who is following.
b. Ask your Ideal customers what social media sites they like the best and spend the most time on
c. If you need help determining what social media sites are the most common below is a list. Now keep in mind your strategy for using each site will differ. The Top Social Media sites in no particular order are:
i. Facebook
ii. Linked In
iii. Twitter
iv. You Tube
v. Google+
vi. Pinterest
2. Professionally brand your social media sites. If photoshop, graphic design, and marketing are not your forte, I recommend having a professional marketer help you create photos, logo, and set up your profiles for you social media sites. You are going to want to make a great first impression so having your logo, message, photos and profile set up to attract your ideal customers are crucial. This doesn’t take much time and should be really affordable. Items to consider when setting up your sites:
a. Be complete with all information
i. Include contact information
b. Create Call To Actions in your descriptions
c. Include live links to your website, squeeze pages, or product/service pages whenever possible
d. Feature your top products or services and rotate them on a regular basis
e. Create visually engaging images and photos
f. Set up costs per profile average $100 -$300 you can find more affordable avenues, remember you get what your pay for so I wouldn’t expect to pay less than $100.
3. Get creative; develop subjects and topics that are interesting and valuable to your ideal customers. Your objective should be to solve the problems of your ideal customers. Your content needs to be engaging, entertaining and compelling. Not sure who your ideal customer is? Or if you are just starting and don’t have any customers here is what you can do:
a. Create a list of your favorite customers or friends
i. List the attributes that make them your favorite
b. If you do not have customers then list your top 3 types of customers you would like and include demographics and what modalities you like to utilize most
c. To receive a copy of our SRB Solutions Social Media Agenda Template email me a request to sbeck@srbsolutions.net I will be happy to send you a copy of our template.
4. Generate content in several media formats. Use all forms of media when addressing the problems you will solving for the ideal customers. Some of media forms are:
a. recording videos
i. Use your web cam, phone, or digital camera
ii. Keep videos to max 3 minutes
iii. Provide answers to common questions or problems
b. writing blog posts
c. creating info graphics
i. make images visually stimulating
ii. Ask a question
iii. Include a call to action, keyword, and contact information
d. gathering royalty-free photos that represent what you are trying to say
i. pictures & videos get the most engagement on social sites
ii. try to coordinate a photo with your post
iii. search You Tube for videos addressing your Ideal customers problems to post the link
e. Gather article links that address your ideal customer’s problems
5. Consistency is critical to social media success. Online marketing has a short shelf life so if you are making the commitment to utilize social media you have to be consistent. How much content will you require depends on how often you are posting. Our recommendations for each of the social sites are below; you can do less and remember more is not always better.
a. Facebook, Linked In, Google+ 1-6 posts per day 5-7 days a week
b. Twitter 3-6 tweets per day 5-7 days a week
c. Pinterest 1 pin to each of your boards 3-7 days a week
d. Linked In discussions select 3-5 group discussions and participate at least once a week
6. Monitor and review your analytics and social media reports regularly. This is help you determine who is the most engaged, when the best time to post, and gain valuable insight into your ideal audience. If you are using Pay Per Click we recommend daily reviews otherwise a minimum of once a month, most review weekly.
7. Write blog posts to position your site as informational expert. Your ideal customers will want to connect with businesses and people they know, like and trust. These businesses earn the reputation in their ideal customers’ minds as leaders in their industry. Your blog can be one of the best tools for building this relationship. Incorporate a strategy to share your blog posts on all your social media sites.
8. Develop strategic online alliances with others on social media sites. Non-profit organizations, trade publications, manufacturers & distributors of products and services you use, and consumer groups are good places to start when you are looking to make connections.
9. Build your email or cell phone lists. Today it isn’t just about building a list but how active your list is. You don’t need a HUGE number of subscribers as long as your list is actively commenting, liking, and buying your products and services. Set up lead capture on your social media sites and set up your blog so people can subscribe to your blog posts. This means having custom applications and posts promoting ways for your idea customers to stay connected by entering their email and or mobile # on a form.
10. Give to Get. Whenever possible help out others. Share blog posts, re-tweet messages, like their pins, share their pins, share their content, follow them, and subscribe to their sites. Be sure to comment and like posts on their pages. Doing these simple things will encourage others to do the same for your sites.
Post questions to any of these guidelines below or if you have a specific strategy that has worked well using social media share it below.