AN ENTREPRENEURS NEW ‘BFF’ – SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Social Media Marketing
Whether you are a new entrepreneur or an experienced entrepreneur you no doubt recognize that social media must be part of your marketing mix.
Social Media Marketing is different from occasionally posting something on your My Space or Facebook page.
Complete books exist that discuss how to properly engage in Social Media Marketing so I will try highlighting only the important points for you to consider.
1. Decide who your target market is and what social media channel reaches your audience.
2. Decide which social media channel reaches your target audience.
3. Formulate a strategy on what actions you will use for each of those channels.
4. Write a schedule when you will do the actions adheres to it.
5. Finding time to perform these actions is difficult. That is why I recommend trying to automate many of these actions. Below are some applications you can use to try to automate your SMM. They are:
Twitter Tools
Tweetdeck
http://www.tweetdeck.com – A desktop application for managing your Twitter account.
Twitter 101 for business
http://business.twitter.com/twitter101 – Twitter’s “101” educational guide for businesses to help them use the channel effectively.
TwtApps http://twtapps.com/ – A suite of content tools from polls to coupons.
Twit Pic http://twitpic.com/ – A tool to help post pictures via Twitter.
Twitter Feed http://twitterfeed.com/ – Allows you to pull your company’s blog posts into your Twitterstream.
Bit.ly – http://bit.ly/ – A URL shortening tool that condenses the size of the links you post in your 140-character-limited Tweets; provides statistical data relative to user engagement with the links.
Facebook Tools
Social RSS http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=23798139265 – Allows you to pull your company’s blog posts into your Facebook Page.
Static FBML http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=4949752878– Helps create advanced coding options for your page.
My Business Blink Web http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=15269243569&ref=s – A promotional widget creator that can be used by your Page and others’ to advertise your firm.
Facebook Page Insights http://www.facebook.com/help/?search=insights#!/help/?page=1030 – A tracking tool that provides actual statistics on your Page’s usage (available to Page admin when logged in).
Blog
Blog Tools
ShareThis – http://www.sharethis.com/ – A content sharing tool you can embed in your blog; provides statistical data relative to how your content is shared.
Feedburner – http://www.feedburner.com/ – A blog syndication tool.
LinkedIn Tools
LinkedIn Application Directory http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=application_directory/ – A page that has a list of all of LinkedIn’s partner applications, including BlogLink(for pulling your company’s blog posts into your LinkedIn Profile), Tweets (fo posting Twitter updates to LinkedIn), SlideShare (for promoting the presentations you’ve posted on SlideShare in your LinkedIn profile), and others.
6. Measure your results.
The results can be measured by the number of followers, friends, and connections your selected social media channels generate. Do you find the followers on Twitter retweeting your posts? How many people are posting on your wall? If you find your receiving activity in these areas you attempt at branding in Social Media Marketing is becoming successful.
Always track your responses and make the necessary adjustments. Discover what resonates with your audience.
Conclusion
If you find the response to your social media efforts not getting traction then adjust and try again. The answer is there you just need keep trying and adjust. To be successful in the realm is not a passive endeavor but requires diligent, and rigorous effort to succeed. Once you find the right mix, and diligently stay on top of the social media channels you will see progress which will go a long way in helping your business efforts.
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