What’s your social media strategy for 2012? Or will you just be doing what you did in 2011?
If last year wasn’t quite as successful as you’d hoped it would be, what went wrong and how will you change it in 2012?
Social media marketing is still marketing
Peter Drucker once said that communication adds value and of course he was absolutely right, but not all communication adds value, so be very selective in 2012 and don’t waste your valuable time. Yes, social media is fun and yes, it can prove to be hugely beneficial to many companies, but it eats time if not managed correctly.
Be consistent with social media
You may look back at your 2011 social media performance and realise that you spent too much time online building your social media reputation and building relationships and not enough time earning money; making digital friends is fun, but it doesn’t pay much. If you want a friend, buy a dog!
Blog standards continue to get higher, don't publish the predictable in 2012!
A good quality blog is a must for most businesses as it keeps the company in the headlines and provides great links to the traditional static website, every business should have something new to talk about and if they haven’t, they really do need a new marketing manager. (Call 01473 435308) Traditional websites can serve their purpose, but they generally don’t generate much traffic unless they’re connected to social media, this is why blogs are so effective and popular. Blogs should always be used in conjunction with other social media platforms because writing a good post is only 60-70% of the job, a blog post without an audience is just pictures and words!
If you want to try social media you have to be brave!
Like any form of marketing, social media is NOT a job that is ever completed; you may complete a particular social media campaign, but the overall process is organic and continuous, if you’re not sure and you don’t feel you can give social media 100%, just don’t bother!
However, if you do want social media success, start from the beginning and enjoy the building process, watch your social media presence grow and see the connectivity working and showing results. Be quick to respond to blog comments positive and negative, be proud of engagement at all levels and prolong that engagement; appreciate customers that take the initiative and reward them for their efforts; encourage your social media mavens, they’ll work hard for you and they’ll spread your corporate message.
Do not get addicted to social media!
Use ONLY what will help you in 2012 and if you have a social media manager or team, make 100% sure they are focused; don’t worry too much about Kred, PeerIndex and Klout if you are new to social media, get the important jobs done first!
Follow your blog traffic with Get Clicky, Alexa and Google analytics and see how you improve, use Google+ and maybe Facebook to help blog traffic, but more importantly use StumbleUpon and Twitter and consider platforms like BizSugar and Blokube too!
Don't be scared of social media!!!
Do NOT be scared of social media, but do NOT give hard earned cash to ‘gurus’ and so-called experts unless you are 100% sure they can do exactly what they claim they can do! During 2011 I came across a number of social media charlatans and these band wagon jumpers give social media a bad name. I guarantee that social media will NOT show results over night, that social media may not help your particular company at all and that the ROI may not be good for a small business like yours! I also guarantee that social media is NOT a 1 size fits all and that not everyone will necessarily benefit from using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!
Ask your guru why you will benefit from a particular strategy? Ask to see previous results and consider that it may be easier to buy a few social media books and teach yourself, basically, it needn’t cost a lot of money! I also guarantee that it will take time and commitment and if you don’t feel confident, don’t bother or instead employ a young and very enthusiastic social media trainee and develop your strategy together, this may teach you more about your company and your current marketing than you could ever have hoped for.
Protect your investment
If we consider that a corporate blog is 100% required whatever you do, whatever sector you are in, then please ensure you protect it! I nearly gave up social media, blogging and everything digital after being hacked back in 2011, it was a major nightmare and I don’t recommend it to any one.
Build a good social presence, one step at a time and monitor the results; don’t try and do everything at once, it’s too difficult and unnecessary and most importantly, be patient! Remember, random acts of social media marketing are 100% guaranteed NOT to work.
Advertising on blogs is a controversial subject and maybe I could have improved my income last year if I had advertised? But by how much? If you’re a company, you’ll probably only want to advertise your own services and products, but don’t discount the benefits of collaboration with someone suitable, but they must be suitable and should relate to your business one way or another. I’m still waiting for a company to approach me and offer me a reasonable sponsorship deal as opposed to having a ton of little adverts that will cheapen my brand!
Let me know what you’re up to in 2012 and tell me what lessons you’ve learned from 2011!
If you find this information interesting, please give it a Google + CLICK and also share it on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, or whichever social media platform you prefer.
If you want to get ahead with a social media call 01473 435308 or email peter@constructionmarketinguk.co.uk and we’ll explain just how cost effective a blog can be and exactly how to develop a quality social media campaign.
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