Social Media Milestones
“For it [social media] truly to be successful, a concerted effort and commitment to its success is a necessity.”
– Eric Richard, Social Media Expert
Getting into social media is not as easy as A-B-C. You may have free access to tools to create social networking pages, but it takes time, effort and patience to see your campaign through. It is inevitable to make mistakes, especially when you’re planning and preparing your steps for the first time. You might have to scrap different campaigns to get the right formula that works for your business. Many Internet industry experts say that social media is the pathway to successful sales lead generation these days. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow and expand your business from its current status. Begin deliberating on what strategies you must take before your competitors gain a foothold on the market.
There are three phases of social media. The first is Launch, second is Management and the third phase is Optimization.
Launch is all about brainstorming about what you should do to enter the world of social media. Which doorway should you choose—Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or other sites? Take the time to learn about each social network you can use for your business — a social media expert or professional to sit down with you for instance. They explain the basics like setting up accounts, differences between social networks and more. You nod and take down notes. Trying it out for yourself, you discover the potential to extend your reach to a large number of customers. Once again, you consult how you should go about making your own campaigns.
After setting up an account or three in different social networks, you try monitoring the returns on investment. You get disappointed with the low results of your hard work. Don’t lose heart yet! Make it a habit to post high-quality content at least three times a week. Connect with everyone you can get to click ‘Like’ or follow your social pages. Ask family members, friends and happy customers to spread the word about your page. Put up signs in your establishment about your newly built social media pages. Once you get people talking about your business online, you can start interacting with your clientele and followers. Always reply to every comment or tweet. An entrepreneur who responds is an entrepreneur well-liked.
When you’ve gathered a middling number of followers and fans, it’s time to examine your strategy again. Is there something you need to change to gain a larger following? Are you generating enough leads that turn into sales? Is there balance between the amount you’ve invested and what you’re earning right now? If you realize there are improvements to do, action must be immediately taken to turn around the situation for the better. Optimize your page to gain the best possible number of maximum returns on your social media investment. Maybe you need to tweak or rehaul your strategy? Seek advice about your campaigns from social network gurus. Once you’ve managed to develop a more efficient approach, progress and profit will soon follow.
Sometimes you have to lose some before you earn more. If trial-and-error is how you do things, you’d learn more about which social media techniques work best for your business.
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