1) Share, don’t sell. Social media is all about creating connections through conversation, and adding value to others’ lives. Share personal experiences, specialized knowledge, and news bites. A single click is often enough to block someone who is being pushy. People can be ruthless with those who don’t follow unwritten rules.
2) Be aware that social media interaction is time consuming. It takes significant time and effort to start, and to maintain an online presence. Dynamic (regularly changing) information is crucial to keeping people engaged.
3) Observe before taking part. It takes time to get to know a community, whether in a face-to-face environment, or online. Understand your community, and its expectations, before jumping in or you risk offending others. “Listening” is as important as active participation. You’ll want to contribute to the community, but it’s important to learn written and unwritten expectations and terms of service.
4) Create a measurable game plan BEFORE you begin. Set quantifiable key performance indicators so you can measure success and determine ROI. What is your strategy? What are your goals?
5) Let people get to know you and your business. Let your personality be part of your communication medium. Keep your brand in mind with every posting so you deliver a consistent message. Pictures are appreciated, and video is strongly welcomed.
6) Think broadly about media connections. Your partnership base will grow more quickly if you include those on “peripheral” edges of a community topic. These people already have some sort of connection to you, however remote, so you instantly have at least one topic of discussion available.
7) Communicate internally as well as externally. All departments in an organization that communicate via media channels need to first communicate with each other so that a single brand identity is shared. Establishing “ground rules” or editorial policies for public content can be well worth the time invested.
8) Share only relevant and interesting information. Before you post something, pause and consider – “Is my message compelling, informative, and relevant? Will it add value to my community?”
9) Respect copyright. Just because something is posted on the Internet doesn’t mean it is available for everyone’s use. Linking is good, copying is bad.
10) Social media marketing is only one leg of a marketing campaign. As important as it is to have a strong online presence, nothing takes the place of face-to-face communication. If you rely solely on Internet channels for developing your customer base, you miss out on 90% of business-building opportunities.
Monday, December 7, 2009
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