3 Common Social Media Practices That Entrepreneurs Must Know
Social media is capable of leveling all differences. It can bridge the gulf between a start-up and an industry leader, between an executive of a multinational organization and a start-up business owner. It brings everybody on the same platform and allows them free exchange of information, opinions and experience that can have a mutually beneficial effect. But creating a presence on social media is not easy. It needs time, effort and of course some knowledge and understanding of social media. Though not the best practices, below are some important tips that can help entrepreneurs build their social media identity.
Quality Content to Engage Readers
You can create a company page on Facebook or LinkedIn and can also start using Twitter. But the real challenge is to get your customers to notice. Providing quality content to your customers and readers is the only way of getting their attention. Include links to your social networking sites in all the marketing content that you send out including flyers, brochures, newsletters, website and blogs. So the key here is content and not just any content but quality content. What is quality content and how do you create it?
Quality content need not always have a sales tone. In fact, it is better not to be pushy always. Rather, it should be able to provide some real important information to readers and customers. According to Mari Smith, an expert in social networking and marketing, there are two ways of generating good content – either you become a thought leader and develop your own content or you share content of other people. No matter which is your way, or you do a combination of both, the key here is to get engaging content that will capture reader’s attention and will compel them to join your discussion.
Decide your Approach – Specialist or Generalist
The next important thing is to decide on your approach. You can either be a generalist producing content across various disciplines or can find a niche corner to voice your views, experiences and information. But it is a general observation that people with specialized content usually find readers faster that those writing about a general topic. When you are making a presence on social networking sites, it is important to remember two important things. First, though Facebook and Twitter are the two primary social networking sites, but you should be able to expand your reach beyond these two. Second, listening is as important as speaking on social networking sites. So remember to pay attentive ears to the discussions going around you and collect important business information from them.
Adapt the Culture of the Networking Site
Every social networking site has a typical culture. To be successful marketing in a networking site, it is important that you understand and embrace its culture. For example, when you are on Facebook, you do not need to blast information to readers. You also have other options to engage reader, like uploading a video. Videos are in fact more engaging than simple content. You can also re-tweet to ensure that you respond to every customer and reader.
Kevin John is a Specialist in Marketing and Client Satisfaction at iTeleCenter, a virtual phone system for small businesses. He has written about business, real estate and lifestyle for more than two decades.
Post image: Twitter mobile
Posted in Social Networking.
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