So many people drink the juice that is social media, and are quickly disenchanted by the dismal ratings and virtually zero client turnovers. Why is that? Isn’t social media supposed to be the cure-all, fourth dimension that marketing lacked for so many years? Well, yes! And, no. Social media is the perfect tool to expand on your personal and professional knowledge. Consider it your business’s soapbox. An opportunity for people to get to know you and gain trust in you as your field’s professional source.
You only get out of social media what you put into it, AND if you use the correct platforms to voice your business and experience within it. For example, I use Instagram simply because I like it. Do I really focus on it for my business? No, not really. How many people want to see 20 different pictures of me sitting at my desk, or pictures of my dogs sitting with me sitting at my desk? I’m going to venture to say, probably not too many. Would Instagram work for my business? Not really. Instagram does work, however, for anyone selling products (I’ve actually bought things I’ve seen on Instagram). For someone selling a service. Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin work best. It’s good to know what you have, what information you can share, and where you think YOU would want to see that form of information. If you don’t know where your business belongs, do some research on your field. Where are other people who do what you do go for social media marketing? Do they have a lot of followers? Do they seem to do well within the chosen platform? This is a great place to start, and to build your social media presence. But, what do you say once you get there?
Communication is a highly underrated art-just because you say something, doesn’t mean you are ‘conveying information’. Learning what to say and how to say it truly takes time and practice. A great place to start would be to write a few different status updates in Word, wait an hour, then go back and read it again. Do they make sense to you? Do they resonate with you? Or do they seem like a bunch of words strung together? Research your competition and see what they write-how effective are they? Do they say things that make you excited about their product or service? Research and practice then practice some more to get the right ‘voice’. Saying the right things, and saying on the right channels will turn those readers into clients; those clients into money!