The significance of social media has skyrocketed over the last five years. This is no mere exaggeration; tens of thousands of businesses ranging from massive corporations to mom-and-pop shops have used social media as a crucial marketing channel. However, many businesses experience difficulty when making the switch to social media. These businesses fail to make an impact because they see social networking as a way to get free advertising time, and they forget that there are people on the other of their marketing.
Person to Person
Businesses that succeed in social media are the ones that connect with their viewers. These viewers do not want to see more garbage cluttering their page or feed. They are far more likely to respect businesses that engage and communicate with them. The businesses that earn respect are the ones that give respect.
Content is King
It’s extremely difficult to find someone that loves receiving spam e-mail. Businesses that have nothing to offer but advertisements may as well be those annoying spammers that market to anyone with a pulse. A business that offers relevant tips, tricks, news or entertainment will quickly earn the reverence of their viewers.
Not So Selfish
One of the secrets to great social media marketing is to be aware of the needs and wants of customers, even if those needs and wants involve other companies. This doesn’t mean that promoting the competition is a good idea; promote anything that has a strong chance of making viewers happy and wanting to see more later.
Maintenance is End Game
Once a business has a healthy following and is consistently gaining new viewers, maintaining the process that created and kept those viewers becomes the goal. At this stage of social media marketing, businesses need to ensure that they are still providing content and engaging viewers regularly. It is easy to become irrelevant or forgotten, and there’s always the opportunity for the competition to take over. The good news is that this stage of marketing is routine, simple and fun.
Read more at the Huffington Post.
