Marketing strategies for social media is simply creating a plan to brand your product.  Most people believe that if they create a good product, assign an honest campaign to it, and post online, that will be all that is needed to create awareness; and thereby sales. If the process of setting yourself apart from all the others was easy, everyone would be successful. Branding success takes more than tips and tricks to see real bottom-line results.  

The first thing to do is to establish your brand identity. What do you want the world to see?   This might seem trivial, but believe me when you respond to that latest hateful Facebook post, a clear understanding of the message you want your customers to hear will flood your brain; making you abundantly clear to the fact an impulsive post will destroy what you have built.  Refraining from a reactive response forges roots to your brand's identity. The greatest example of this approach is Taylor Swift.  For over a decade young fans everywhere adored her because her message was clear, “I feel the same way you do.”

Start with a plan.  Decide which platforms are right for you. How much time are you going to devote to Facebook Marketing? To LinkedIn Marketing? To Instagram Marketing? Does scrolling through the feed cause you great distress? Does the thought of doing this lift your spirits, get your creative juices flowing, ignite some form of problem-solving capabilities you might possess?  These fundamental life factors will determine which of the platforms available might suit you.  

The second thing is to do your research!  Facebook created a book called, “How to Advertise with Facebook.”  This is an incredible read.  If you’re truly planning on tapping in on the “page” market through Facebook, many have had incredible success.  I warn you this can be an expensive measure.  Instagram touts that video and pictures are the newest form of sharing data for Millennials, Generations X, Y, and Z. Twitter is a great platform for updates as you have merely 180 characters to speak your message.  LinkedIn is the professional platform that connects you to colleagues, industry professionals, and leads. Pinterest is another picture board platform allowing you to collect groups of ideas that others can share and keep. WeMe is a new social media platform that is attempting to supersede Facebook but struggling in its effectiveness. Snap chat and Tick Tock are two up and coming new applications that young people gravitate to.  These are effective when marketing to the tween and teenage customers.  No matter what your preference is, these are some of the most powerful driven multi-user platforms on the market.  If you’re going to use social media as a way to brand, promote, and build relationships with customers, it is vital to check these out in today’s digital age.  Once you have all the online profiles established consider a Google Business platform where customers can find you.

When marketing to a select group of people you need to fully understand what your customer needs.  This sales approach to business addresses the ability to deliver clear messages on what you can offer that solve the current challenges customers may have.  It is extremely important to understand that perception is everything.  If there are hundreds of other companies selling the same product you do, what sets you apart? It would be great to write down catchphrases, and hashtags and repeat them over and over when you post.  This allows the searches to tag and identify clear messages.  The posts connect with the person searching through all search engines.  Once you have an established clientele looking at your products, keep the momentum going by analyzing what worked and what did not.  Once you understand the fundamentals of success of responses, enlarge your audience.  Do not assume that current customers will be lifelong customers.

One of the most annoying things to be as a business development professional is to see someone who has no idea what I do for a living get on my social media and one; try to cross-post and feed off what I built or two; send me a lengthy definition of what they do for me without knowing what I do.  In the paragraphs that spam me without my permission, is an underlying request to purchase what they offer.  Please do not do this.  Building relationships that suffer the roller coaster of longevity takes skill. Part of that is to create a dialog based on who your client is.  What are they interested in? What are their beliefs?  Respect them by letting them know that you appreciate the importance of what they feel has value.  The greatest gift you can offer someone is the investment of your time in them, and they will be more likely to return that investment in you.

When you share your posts, share something compelling. Consider guest posting. Share another’s product and establish industry partnerships. Make your customers want to engage with you. Give them a reason to care about what you’re sharing.  Ask questions, create contest campaigns, fun social events, etc.  Your audience needs to believe that you are the expert in the field you represent.  

Social Media takes a lot of action that is best with a social in-person element. Selling online is a tediously continuous approach to promotion.  There are tools like Social Oomph that can help schedule posts for you.  Mailchimp can help you embed email capture so that you can grow a personal email list.  There are many tools, tips, and tricks that can help you get your brand out there, but the main thing to understand is that quality trumps quantity every time.  Make each post compelling, share your message, be purposeful.  This will solidify the bond between business and client.

Article courtesy of Rebecca Nietert with www.AuthorEnterprise.com