TOP 10 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS

•Tip 1: Master Perception• Ideally you want to develop your reputation and persona, and

you need to consistently meet your audience's needs and expectations to create the right perceptions. A helpful tip on this is to follow the Pareto Principle. You need to make sure that 80% of your content, conversations, and activities are meaningful and useful to your target audience.

TIP #2

• Prominence: You need to appear in the right places to get in front of the right audience. Like I said before, you need to know your target audience, and you need to know when and where they spend their time online. Check out this past blog on the best days and times to post on social media. 

TIP #3

• Have a plan before you start: Make sure you know what social outlets you are going to use, how frequent you are going to be posting, what kind of content you want to post, who will be posting, and so on. Having a well-drawn out plan will make everything so much simpler and less hectic. 

TIP #4

• Be Engaging

• Be sure to communicate with your network regularly. If someone asks a question on any social media platform, ANSWER IT! This is what both existing and potentially new clients/customers like to see. It makes your business seem more personable, and it also shows that you care. 

TIP #5

• Use Google + Consistently

• We all know it well - Google+. This was Google's attempt at creating a successful social media platform. It was kind of a flop when first released, however it is currently the 2nd most popular social media platform with over 540 million active users. With the recent changes in its search algorithm under code name Google Hummingbird, Google continues to push the envelope, and Google+ remains at the very heart of its strategy, and 2014 should be the year to watch out for not only Twitter, but also for Google+. 

TIP #6 MAKE VIDEOS

• Videos are continuing their upward ascent in social media marketing, but in particular it is short videos. We all know YouTube, and we all know how successful YouTube is, but there have been a few more social media video platforms that have popped up, such as Vine and Instagram Videos.

• Videos are being identified as the hot marketing trends to look out for. Without a doubt, this is one trend that you can expect to grow in 2014. If pictures tell a 1,000 words, videos can tell a million!

TIP #6 SHARE CONTENT THAT IS INTERESTING

• This one can be tough; who decides what’s interesting anyway? Well, if you have something newsworthy to share the impacts your customers directly, that’s “interesting.” Share content from others that is relevant to your clients. Write blogs or record videos that show your customers how to do something better. Spotlight your employees or community events or customers. (Readhere for more tips.)

TIP #7 BE PATIENT

• Building a community through social media takes time. Don’t expect results after a month or two—or even longer. Keep at it, and you will begin to see it work for your business.

TIP #8 MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS

• It’s important to measure your social media activities in terms of the impact they are having. The Facebook Insights tool—or third-party apps—for instance, can help you monitor click-through rates.  Compare to see if there is a type of content you are posting that is creating more engagement. Adjust your content strategy accordingly.

• Social media doesn’t have to cost anything, but just because it’s free doesn’t mean you should underestimate its importance.

TIP #9 STRIVE TO ENGAGE

• A lot of people seem to forget this, but when you are posting online, your goal is to engage readers. I am always surprised when I go to comment on a blog, only to find that comments are not allowed. Why bother blogging at all if you aren’t giving your readers a chance to participate in a conversation. Involve your readers. Online content cannot be a one-way street if you intend to use it to grow your business. Your goal needs to be building relationships—hence, the trust of your audience. 

TIP #10 BE GENUINE

• So how do you stand out in the sea of content that is out there? It’s something you already know how to do but you may not be doing it when it comes to your content. Be who you are. Let your personality shine through. Don’t try to sound totally corporate or overly professional—especially if that’s not your personality.