Content: Control or Chaos

Many of my clients are concerned that they don’t have enough content and/or information to put out on their social networks. This is usually because they don’t always know what “good” content is or what is post-worthy information.  Other times, it’s because they don’t know where to get their content.

There are some basic questions to ask:

1.     What type of content does my business have to offer?

2.     Where else can I get content?

3.     What would my clients and potential clients find informative or entertaining?

4.     Am I in control of my content or am I overwhelming my followers? See this post to make sure you’re not the annoying one.

5.     If I was a client, what would I say about my sites?

Let me put your mind at ease - you should never be concerned about not having enough content. There are umpteen places to get information worth sharing. To start, facts about your business are always good to post as long as they are positive. DON’T post negative facts about your company that unveil financial issues, etc.

Another topic to touch upon that doesn’t require doing any research is to tweet about what’s going on in your company. For example, you can Instagram pictures from your annual dinner, welcome a new employee, or discuss your awards. DON’T post photographs of a company party gone wrong. Make sure what that all of your content puts the company in a good light.

Here’s the thing, if you only use content about your company, people are going to get bored. Sure, you’re supposed to be promoting your business, but social media marketing should be a tool used for relating to your clients. So, mix it up. Try using Google News, your most respected local paper, blogs, your news feeds, and even StumbleUpon to grab engaging and useful content.

What is considered “engaging and useful?” Think about topics that everyone enjoys! Don’t think too hard about this one. What do you like to do, see, and eat? Who do you like to speak with? Where do you vacation, work out, and have dates? Food happens to be the number one discussed topic on social media networks and it’s really not surprising as to why. Check out KayWalten’s blog post to get clued in.

As long as you remember to be respectful, post quality content and not quantity content, and that sharing is caring, you’re on the right track. To see more rules read this post on networkingeiquet.net.

Post with confidence!

Step One: I decided I want to use social media marketing for my business, now what?

Congratulations! It’s healthy to face your fears. Social Butterfly Consulting is here to hold your hand and take you through the challenging and rewarding journey of setting up and running your social media campaign. There are three major steps in the process of preparing your launch and though they may be obvious, accomplishing them isn’t.

Step One: Analysis

Before you get overwhelmed with the numerous social networking sites and platforms, take a deep breath because you have to do the legwork first. The first part of any analysis is to listen. When we work with you, we need to listen to what you hope to accomplish with new media. Do you want more clients? More referrals? More exposure? You may also want to listen to your clients and employees. Listen to how they prefer to reach you, get your products, what sites they use, and so on.

The second part of the equation is experience. For us, this may mean getting to know your business in a hands-on way, but on your end, think about what it’s like to be a consumer. What sites would you want to see your favorite products and brands on? What would you like them to post, tweet, and pin?

The final part of the analysis is research. This step is easily the most important. Look at your sales records, target audiences, location stats, etc. There is no way to make the most constructive decisions with respect to who you should target, how, where, and why - without them.

Step Two: Set Up

Now you’re getting excited right? Maybe even a tad impatient? Well, social media marketing, like any type of marketing, requires a lot of patience. It’s time to pick and choose the networking sites and apps that make sense for your business. Once we’ve picked your choice of Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Foursquare, just to name a few, it’s time to get going.

Step Three: Learn It/Run It

So, everything is set up! You have your profile pictures, job descriptions, recommendations, and a sufficient amount of friends and followers. Okay, maybe you’re not there with the followers, but that’s because it’s not enough to just set it all up. It doesn’t have a life of it’s own, not completely. The power of social media networking is in your hands.

If you’re wondering why learning it and running it are in the same step, it’s because it’s impossible to learn how to use social media without physically using it. It’s not surprising that you leave a tech class of thirty plus people feeling overwhelmed. There’s no one-on-one attention. You’re taking notes and your mind is left racing. Sound familiar? Get some help.

Be brave. Be bold. Fly up the business ladder.