When getting started with social media, there are some key things that you need to know as well as a few things that can help you get off to a good start. Understand that the base of “social media” is sharing and interacting, and channels like Facebook & Twitter are the digital networks that you can choose to share your media on. It’s on these channels that you share your information as well as comment on and/or share other peoples information. The basis is interaction, being social while not in the typical social setting like a coffee house or fancy get together. Social media channels like the before mentioned and others such as LinkedIn, Instagram and SnapChat have created a virtual environment with there own ways to interact and be social with others.
If you are just getting started into the use of social media as a marketing strategy, here are a few super simple tips to consider.
Play Nice
You’re online with the rest of the world in a social environment, be nice. It’s your message to the world and your brand that you are developing with that message. It’s often too easy when not confronted with someone face-to-face to say something that you might not normally say. Before you post something, take a moment to consider how other people are going to read into your message. Our simple advice, be nice to others and play nice online.
[easy-tweet tweet=”If you don’t have something nice to say, find another way to say it.” hashtags=”#SocialMedia #playnice”]
Create Your Image – Represent Your Brand
When you first start out, you have chance to start creating your image right from the way you set up your website and your social media accounts. Make sure that image properly represents your brand and promotes what you do and/or sell. Your image is created through what you create and share, say and do as well as how others relate to your brand both online and in real life.
Interact With Others
If you haven’t heard this yet, social media is designed to be interactive. So feel free to say hello, comment and share with others. The more positive interaction, the better. Don’t be afraid to like things & share other peoples stuff. It can only help to enhance your network and develop relationships with those you interact with.
Share Quality Content
Try as best you can to make sure the quality of the content you are sharing is worth sharing. On the surface this is referring to high quality images, videos, proper spelling and grammar. But the underlying meaning and most important part is the quality of the message that is being shared.
Use Visuals
Visuals like pictures and video can be some of the best ways to grab the attention of your audience as well as convey a message. The use of video has been growing at an increasing rate and will soon dominate the internet. Don’t get me wrong, words are great, I love reading a good book or something I am able to learn from. However an image can convey a lot of information very quickly. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words.” So add an image to your message and convey even more information to your audience.
Be Active
Once you are on any social media channel, be active on it, share and comment with others. Keep your feed moving, keep putting out content and interacting with others following the general guidelines above. A business that is on social media and does not post anything looks like a business that is out of business.
Get Started
What are you waiting for? If you want to improve your marketing strategy, improve your customer relations, Improve your brand recognition and do more business, get on social media. You could get started at anytime to grow your business, might as well be now.
[easy-tweet tweet=”The best time to start on Social Media was yesterday. The next best time is now! ” via=”no” hashtags=”#socialmedia”]
If you’re on Twitter (and I hope you are) make sure to say hello to us @SocialMediaROC