Social Media Tip: Plan Your Social Media Marketing

The entire point of Social Media is to be social and get involved; to start or respond to a conversation on a particular topic.  With this aim in mind, it would be smart for more small businesses to take advantage of social media and plan out a social media marketing strategy in order to engage their customers and potential customers in a little dialog.

It appears that the main reasons small businesses may be reluctant to really dive in with a solid social media marketing plan has to do with time and know how.  Social media can be time consuming to maintain, especially as there are so many different social media sites and communities online.  It could feel like a never ending rollercoaster ride to try and keep up with all of the latest and greatest sites and applications.

Also, with so many social media sites, it can be intimidating to know where to start and how to integrate them into a cohesive marketing campaign.  Small businesses may be in a bind to hire a social media consultant to formulate and carry out an effective social media strategy for money reasons.  They are, after all, small businesses.

Implementing a social media marketing strategy into your overall business marketing plan is not that difficult if approached in the right manner. To start with, the business has to know what it is they hope to achieve by entering the social media arena.  It may be helpful to know that in a recent survey by MarketingSherpa of social network users with more than 500 connections, the top reason that they ‘friended’ or followed a brand or company online was to be first in line to hear about specials and sales.  Other top reasons included, to learn about new products, features or services and to get to know the company.

Knowing this, it would be foolish for small businesses not to include social media in their online marketing plan.  Don’t overlook this obvious but business boosting small business marketing tip: use social media.  However, avoid the temptation of joining every social networking site online.  Start by first formulating a social media marketing plan and then meet your social consumer where they hang out.  Getting to know  how your business can best use the social media tools of your target audience’s choice will not only boost your business but also build relationships – the core to consumer loyalty.

Peace & Prosperity,