Listen to this post:
As you may have seen, Denise Wakeman and I are running a social media usage survey to help define what people most want to know about social media. We’ve gotten over 200 responses so far (and please feel free to add yours, if you wish!)
The results are interesting so far, with one of the biggest complaints being how much time social media takes. Even more than that, people are wondering how to monetize their social media efforts. And this combination of factors got me thinking.
What appears to be happening is that people are investing lots of time on the social networks, but not enough time using social media as a content sharing and distribution mechanism. Most of all, people want a process and system for using social media more efficiently, and for seeing more returns from it.
In the interest of saving you some time, and increasing your social media efficiency, I have 5 tips to help:
1) Schedule regular time for social media. I’m fond of saying that social media is a time suck. This means that, without boundaries on your time, chatting on Facebook or tweeting on Twitter can take up your entire day. This will have negative impact on your business. So, instead, schedule time to attend to social media each day, and resist the urge to network all day long, especially if you don’t have a clear and definite business outcome in mind. I tend to schedule an hour in the morning to connect with my social networks, and I have one of my assistants handle all the daily friending back, following back, processes, reducing my time commitment and letting me focus on conversations and connections.
2) Let technology do the heavy lifting. You can be more social media efficient if you use technology to help you. One example would be to set up content distribution and syndication processes. (Denise & I will be sharing tips and ideas for this in the near future.) Another way is to use software programs to help streamline your efforts. I like and use Tweetdeck, for example, which lets me monitor Twitter, Facebook, and now, recently, LinkedIn. No matter what you need, there is probably a piece of software that can help you do it faster or better.
3) Reduce the noise. There are just three main things you need to focus on in social media. The first is gaining attention. The second is making connections. And the third is being consistent. You can do this without any technology at all. It’s fine to be interested in new gadgets and new advances in technology (and I confess, I’m a girl geek at times)- but don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed and forget the basics of marketing. You must be noticed, make connections, and show up regularly.
4) Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose. The better you are at repurposing your content, the easier your social media marketing will be. Aim to get at least 10 uses out of every blog post, every interview, every video you make. Stay in touch with what your target audience needs, and provide it for them faster, and easier, and quicker than anyone else. Seek to create dialogues and conversations around your content. You’ll learn what people most want to know, and you’ll always have good ideas for new content to create.
5) Tie your social media efforts to your business goals and optimize for them. What this means is that you need to have an idea of what you want social media to DO for you. Do you want to become the household name in XYZ industry? Do you want to get 10000 people on your email database? Do you want to be picked up by major media as an authority or expert? Like any other business arena, you have to know what you want to achieve and lay out a strategy to achieve it. And then you need to do the work. If you’re spending a lot of time in social media, but not feeling like you’re getting enough return, I would suggest that maybe you want to step back and reassess your goals. Don’t take part in social media waiting to see what will happen. Have an idea of what you want to create, and use the social media tools to create it. The clearer your objectives, the faster you’ll reach them, helping balance out your time and return on investment.
Social networking is not the only facet of social media you should be paying attention to. Use the social media sites to build your platform, drive your brand, and send visitors to your website. These kinds of results are trackable and monetizable.
Filed under Featured by
Listen to this post:
I was recently interviewed for a magazine article on social media and small business. In the interview, I was asked to provide a concise listing of the benefits of social media for small business. I liked my response, and wanted to share some of my ideas with you here.
(If you’re interested in reading the article when it’s published, I’ll also let you know about that, too! 
The way I see social media, it is more than a fad. It is, actually, a key disruptor of traditional marketing and advertising, and the disruption is going to get worse.
Even though the main social media sites are growing, there is still some confusion about how best to take part in the social media space.
Some ideas I have about this:
1) Every business needs an intelligent social media strategy.
Intelligent social media strategy means a strategy which links business objectives to social media marketing goals. It also refers to the idea that your social media toolset should be aligned with the outcomes you seek. While it’s easy to get seduced by having hundreds of friends on Facebook, if none of them represent your business target market or target group, your results won’t be that positive. I want to stress that it is not about your popularity. It is about profitable popularity if you are using social media for business.
2) Build your strategy first, and then select your tools.
I referenced this on an earlier post on social media strategy, but want to bring this up again. Don’t get started on the social media sites until you’ve outlined your goals and set up metrics to measure your outcomes. Skip this step, and you risk wasting a lot of time and resources for little return. Monitor your return at least once a month, so you know if your effort is worth it for your business.
3) Use social media to reduce lead generation costs.
One of the best ways to use social media for small business is to take advantage of the ease of content syndication, and share your content and information as widely and generously as possible. Create multiple marketing touchpoints so that you can create top of mind awareness. You want to build your own community of raving fans and be their first choice of provider when they need what you sell.
4) Right-size your social media approach.
I want to devote another blog post to this topic, but let me mention it here. The concept of “right sizing” your social media approach means that you invest in social media at the level commensurate to the business you can actually deliver on. This means, if you are a local business with just one location, and you can’t deliver services or products outside of your immediate location (whether due to costs, licensing, etc.), you do not need as large or as robust a social media strategy as a company with multiple locations which can fulfill orders nationally or internationally. Don’t be seduced into spending a lot on broad based social media efforts if you don’t have a business model which can profit from it.
5) Use social media to drive branding and awareness.
One of the best ways to use social media is as a method to “get your business on the map”- which means, essentially, that you use it to raise awareness of your business and what you offer. You do this primarily by sharing what interests you, and by using a soft selling approach. You share content and information which engages, informs, and inspires, and then make an offer of how a person can learn more. For those selling services, you are best served to use social media as a step one lead generation tool, and still expect that people won’t purchase until they have a chance to know you better. For a lower investment product, you may be able to convert them more easily. You can use social media to drive social proof, which can also shorten your sales cycle or convince people they should do business with you.
By understanding your own business goals for social media, and approaching this like any other form of marketing, you will position your business for profit.
Though just a few years old, social media is changing. Learn more about the Future of Social Media
Filed under Featured by
