For many people I speak to who have begun to stick their toe in the water with Social Media, many say that they opened their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, started Tweeting, Facebooking and LinkingIn but just aren’t really seeing much in the way of results. My question to them is usually “What goal do you have in mind with your Social Media Strategy?”.
Most of the time, people are so excited about the the possibilities of connecting with potential clients and reaching so many people with the low-cost tools of Social Media that they jump in, feet first – and forget that the basic aspects of marketing still need to be honored.
Before embarking on your journey into the world of Social Media, it’s still essential to define your goals first – what do you hope, want or expect to achieve with your efforts? Perhaps it’s decreasing the number of customer complaints, increasing the number of new clients, increasing the number of referrals, increasing traffic to your website, reducing the cost of lead acquisition, increasing the amount of revenue per customer, initiating new product ideas and…I could go on – but you get the picture.
So think about the basics first. Define your goals – think about what you want to achieve, and then start with some small but strategic steps to get there. Set aside a few minutes each day, be consistent and be patient. Measure your results against your goals, and keep testing your message. Remember that adding value and information to the social conversation is the key to building relationships online.
And…here’s a great article with a good comprehensive list of more points to keep in mind when thinking of your Social Media strategy…
