Pamela Wigglesworth Five Simple Steps to Using Social Media for your Business.........
When in business it is important to get the word out about your products or services?
People can’t support your business if they don’t know you exist and what you do, so it’s important you have a strong
online presence. If you don’t know much about social media, don’t worry. Most social media tools are easy to use.
Here are a few simple steps you can take to effectively launch your social media presence:
- Create a social media strategy
This is actually much easier than it sounds. Start by deciding who in your company will be responsible for social media.
Once you’ve determined who is involved make a list of which tools you’ll want to use.
Although there are a lot of social media choices out there, in the beginning focus on the biggest players. Right now,
Twitter and Facebook are most influential in social media and you’ll want to have a blog presence as well.
As you become more adept at using social media, you can make adjustments to add or change tools you may like to
use.
- Start a blog
This is one of the most effective ways to create an online presence. You can start by introducing your company and
products, give expert advice related to it, or editorialize about relevant news items.
A blog is a great way to connect with your customers in a meaningful way and make connections across your industry.
Post regularly - it doesn’t have to be daily, but once or twice a week is good. Consider posting on the same days, so
people following it know when to expect a new post. Create links to other blogs and credible sites and to other posts
in your blog.
- Utilize Facebook
Facebook is another great avenue to connect with your customers. Create a page for your customers to “like.” If you
are already on Facebook, you can send invitations for your page to everyone on your friends list and ask them to
spread the word. Facebook is a good place to post shorter updates, advertise upcoming specials, product releases,
promote contests, or set up little quizzes or polls. The key is to give your customers something fun with which they
can interact.
- Learn to use Twitter
There are around 40 million tweets daily on Twitter, so you definitely want to get in on the action. The feed is
constantly updated and moves quickly, so make a point to post something several times a day. Since you are limited to
140 characters, your strategy will have to be a little different from Facebook. Post interesting quotes and facts related
to your company and links to articles and blogs that might be of interest to your customers. You’ll be surprised at how
quickly you can gain hundreds, if not thousands of followers, especially if your content is good.
- Join the conversation
Gaining a presence using popular social media tools is great, but also interact with others in your field. Start following
blogs of other companies in your industry, especially your competitors. It’s a great way to keep track of what they’re
doing and if you comment regularly, you can actually drive traffic back to your blog.
Using social media is an ongoing process. The most important thing to keep in mind is
consistency. Establish a presence and update it regularly. There is no better way to
promote your business than to have it be associated with positive and engaging
content.
Now go grab a pen and start writing.
International corporate trainer and speaker, and Managing Director of Experiential
Pte Ltd, Pamela Wigglesworth works with businesses across multiple industries to
enhance their marketing communication.
A frequent speaker at business events, Pamela has had several articles published in the
Singapore Straits Times. She has resided in Asia for over 23 years.
Contact: Tel: +65 6241 9834 | Email: [email protected] | http://www.experiential.sg