Using Social Media Marketing To Its Fullest Advantage

Social media marketing. It sounds easy, doesn't it? All you have to do is put up a Facebook page, make sure that you have a Twitter account, and let your followers do the rest, right?

Actually, it's not that simple. Social media marketing is a careful science. It's a balance between making sure that you show up in your followers' feeds often enough, but not so much that your followers feel overwhelmed and hide your posts.

There are several key things that you can do to increase your social media exposure and keep your brand foremost in your followers' minds.

RUN CONTESTS. 

Running regular contests allows your followers to interact with your brand. Be careful not to run them constantly, though, or people will lose interest. If you offer bonus points to followers who convince their friends to take part in the contest, too, you'll find yourself bringing in new potential customers. Once you have them, it's your job to keep them.

POST A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK. 

They don't have to be long posts, but the more often your brand appears in front of potential customers, the more likely they'll be to think of you when they need your product or services. It can be difficult to come up with things to post all the time, but here's a suggestion: highlight a special product or service that you're offering, even if it's not discounted.

It's also helpful to discuss specific promotions that are available each week. Issue reminders about new products that your customers might find interesting. Remember, there's always something going on with your brand, and your followers should know about it.

LINK TO BLOG POSTS. 

Sharing blog posts on social media is a great way to provide your followers with long-form information. You don't just have to share posts on your site, although that does help increase your traffic. Link to posts that are relevant to your industry, including posts that might be considered controversial. You want to start a discussion.

ENGAGE WITH YOUR FANS.

The best way to get a discussion started is to ask questions. Once you've started a discussion, be sure to reply to your followers' comments. To do this, you don't need to stay glued to your computer all day to monitor fan interaction. Schedule time each day to respond to many comments and replies at once.

DON'T FORGET PINTEREST. 

Pinterest is the unsung hero of social media. Like other social media platforms, Pinterest offers a lot of opportunities to share new products and information. In addition, sharing posts on Pinterest reaches a demographic that might not be on Twitter or Facebook.

HAVE A LONG-TERM STRATEGY IN PLACE. 

Know from the beginning what you're hoping to accomplish with each social media account that you maintain. Write out your goals and refer back to them regularly. If your goal is to keep your followers engaged, entertained, and your brand in their minds, then make sure that you're accomplishing that. Evaluate your progress regularly to see if you're meeting your goals the way you hoped to. This will help keep you on track and maintain your social media account's value as a marketing tool.