A recent survey of retailers found widespread disappointment over social media marketing and its impact on revenue. Part of the reason for the disillusionment may be a failure to be as focused as you would normally be with other marketing campaigns.
Simply having a Facebook page or sending out a few tweets isn’t enough. If you start with a solid plan, you just might discover that social media platforms can be a valuable marketing tool.
Focus On a Few Select Platforms
If you are new to social media marketing – or if you have tried it before with less than impressive results – start by focusing on a few platforms. This makes it easier to keep up with the demand for fresh content that drives all things social. Facebook and Twitter may seem like obvious choices, but not always. Consider the potential of various social platforms before you narrow down your selections.
- Facebook – With a billion-plus users worldwide, it’s hard to deny the power of Facebook in terms of the potential audience alone.
- Pinterest – A simple “pin-it” icon works wonders for allowing customers to share your product images or post images related to your product or service. A description is required so you still have potential SEO value.
- YouTube – In addition to being a great place to post “how-to” videos and other videos related to your business, YouTube is a very effective advertising platform.
- LinkedIn – Designed specifically for business, LinkedIn has made several noticeable upgrades recently that make an even more effective platform.
- Twitter – While still a popular platform, Twitter isn’t the most valuable marketing tool for business in terms of revenue generation. It is a good way to quickly engage your target audience though.
- MySpace – Once a haven for aspiring rockers, MySpace has reinvented itself as a go-to platform for businesses – and they did a pretty good job.
- Google+ – While not that great as a social network, Google+ is a must-have when it comes to its SEO potential and new business functions.
- Yelp – The popular online review directory presents excellent SEO opportunities; especially location-based SEO since you can add your business address to your listing.
- Digg – Digg is especially effective for your blogs and webpages. If you add social links too, you have real marketing potential.
- DeviantArt – While this platform is designed for users to share their art, DeviantArt works well for highly visual campaigns.
Have Solid Goals
Aimlessly diving into social media is a surefire setup for failure. Like any other marketing campaign, you have to have clear goals as to what you want to achieve. Do you want to generate buzz for a new product? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Do you to establish yourself as an expert in your field? Each of these goals involves a different approach to using social media. To paraphrase Shakespeare, a marketing campaign without focus is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Having a solid social media marketing plan is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t measure your results. There are plenty of metrics you can use to measure where your online traffic is coming from, including your social traffic. This gives you a chance to make adjustments and achieve your realistic marketing goals.
