Social Media Marketing Tips by Alacrify

There's a lot of nonsense talked about the importance of social media marketing to businesses, and many people will make completely unrealistic and inappropriate claims to discover untold wealth and influence on social media networks. Over the years that we've been working with our clients on social media campaigns, we have developed a far more subtle and circumspect attitude to the benefits of social media marketing. Our top tips for social media marketing have been forged in the furnace of real life experience!

1. Work out whether you need a social media presence at all

Some businesses are naturally social. They provide services that are already, in part, represented on social media networks. Wedding venues or florists or gift companies will all be selling things to people for occasions that will probably be mentioned on someone's Twitter or Facebook timeline already. Other businesses will definitely not be very relevant to social media users; shipbuilders, street cleaning contractors and office construction companies will rarely have much relevance to the wider social media community. Our first question is always, "is it relevant to your business?"

2. Work out who you want to talk to

Different groups of people use different social media for different reasons. Understanding how your audience uses social media networks is vital to beginning to define a social media campaign or activity. Which networks does your market use? What time of day or week do they use it? What do they use it for? Again, it's possible that your market is simply not interested in social media yet, in which case we would not recommend it as a marketing channel for you. However if your market is using social media then we can find a way to reach them.

3. Work out what you want to achieve

Any social media marketing needs to develop some return on investment, and so you need to define what your expectations are for this marketing activity. This can stretch from brand building through sales to aftersales and customer care. The odds are that you'll always be engaged in all of these things, but probably focusing more on one or two aspects in particular. Setting clear goals will shape the content and activities that you'll engage in on social media networks. This will make you more credible, and more efficient in your marketing activities.

4. Don't get (too) distracted

There is a lot to be said for the value of being human on social networks. They are, after all, about people talking to people. Replying and chatting personally on a social network really can make people feel that you're more open and invested in your audience, and can really add value to their loyalty and interest in you as a brand or business. However it is very easy to become a social media addict, posting content at all hours, and getting dragged off topic and away from your marketing targets. Continually evaluating the success of your project is really essential for keeping you focused.

5. Talk it through with a specialist

Give us a ring on 01305 595925 and talk through how you think social media can work for you, or to ask us questions about the best way to go about building a social media presence. We've years of experience of building successful and well-defined online marketing campaigns, including social media marketing, for our clients. Call us to see what's possible for your business.

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