Social Media. Two words which really define the most recent movement on the internet, and for the most part business in general. Even my grandmother knows what Twitter is...maybe...but the bottom line is there's no doubt social media has taken and is continuing to take the web, tech, and business worlds by storm. But this isn't about rehashing what's been said about the social media movement. The purpose of this article is to address how small businesses, organizations, and freelancers need to approach social media. Is social media for everyone? How can you apply social media to your business? Why is it so important?
I tend to agree with Gary Vaynerchuk - someone I greatly respect, and who is a rockstar in the social media / internet world - who doesn't like the term social media. He claims social media really is just the next version of media in general. To GV, social media isn't a form of media, it's the new form of media. While social media hasn't replaced other foundational forms of media, no one can argue that the paradigm is changing.
The internet in particular has experienced the bulk of this paradigm shift. What once was a one way conversation between brands and users has now become a two-way, interactive dialogue. It's not enough to simply "put" information out there - now you must continue to offer relevant content that your users care about in such a way that keeps those users coming back for more. The whole "social" side of media simply means that brands are no longer completely in control of what's being said about them - therefore it's more important than ever to monitor and maintain your brand presence and identity amongst your current and potential users.
But how should small businesses and freelancers approach social media? Often I hear small business owners and decision makers brush off social media initiatives because they don't see how a Facebook profile or Twitter account makes sense for them. I addressed this in a previous article where I said one of the keys to aligning your business strategy with your brand strategy was:
Don't generalize - don't just assume, for instance, that your business doesn't need to utilize social media because you can't see how your business will fit on Facebook. Don't generalize one form of media or marketing based on one entity. Just like social media is much more than Facebook, your brand strategy should seek to find ways to reach your customers through the mediums they use the most.
You see, social media isn't just social media platforms. Social media is the interactive, ongoing conversation you (or your brand) is having with your customers. Remember you're always branding - your customers are always forming an identity of your brand in their minds - the question is what identity are they forming. The same is true of social media.
Social media isn't just social media platforms.
Let me also say that every social media platform is not for everyone. Though I am a believer that every business should embrace social media initiatives, I don't believe that every business should embrace the same ones. It really comes down to what you define as being part of the social media world - but the bottom line is that every business and every brand should desire and make an effort to interact and engage their customers on a regular basis.
So if your a small business owner, decision maker, freelancer, or someone in between, how do you embrace social media? I'll leave the specifics for another post - defining what specific initiatives you should embrace - but I believe there are some general points everyone can and should employ. In order to create and maintain a solid social media strategy to help build your brand presence, you must do each of the following:
1. Create Relevant Content - Whether it's through your website, a blog, a Twitter profile, or an email newsletter, make sure you're creating content that's both different and relevant to your users.
2. Maintain Relevant Content - Once you've created content you've got to maintain it. It's not enough to build a Twitter profile and post once a month. Make an effort to keep consistency a priority.
3. Connect With Your Users - Creating and maintaining content is just half the battle - you also have to connect with your users over the content you produce.
4. Interact With Your Users - Just like you have to maintain consistency with you content, you also have to maintain consistency with your users. It's not enough to build a community and connect with it once. Your users want to interact with your brand - make an effort to do so with them.
Social Media isn't the end-all, be-all for businesses. Just because you employ social media strategies doesn't mean you'll be successful - you have to determine the best initiatives for your unique business and brand. We'll talk about this more in our next article - but the bottom line is every business no matter how large or small needs to connect with their customers. There is no excuse to have a one-sided marketing strategy anymore. The day is here where your customers and potential customers are ready to interact with you and your brand - the question is will you connect with them, or leave them forming a negative identity of your brand in their minds?
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[...] mentioned in the first part of this series that social media isn't just social media platforms. Social media is the interactive, ongoing [...]