Using Social Media To Advance Your Business
Iâve asked myself these questions before, especially in the start-up phase. Having to deal with all the paperwork and yet make time to chat, I found that very difficult. It took me time to begin with myself.
Firstly, before you can even think of trying out one or two social media platforms, ask yourself if you are disciplined enough. As your own boss you might think itâs cool to work whenever you feel like it and do whatever you want, and thatâs not true, in fact youâre supposed to be on the job 24/7, 365.
As daunting as it may seem, you need to get on those social mediums now and start building meaningful relationships with your customers. However, donât fall for the unforeseen trap others fall for; donât do it because everyone else is doing it, do it because it compliments your promotional efforts. Â But first, you must develop a comprehensive Social Media Plan that will help you attract the right audience at the right time, through the right channels. This will determine how sound your social media framework and targeted communications will be.Â
How To Go About Developing A Comprehensive Social Media Plan:
1. Determine your goals & objectives
Make sure your reasons for being on social media are inclined with your company goals and objectives.Â
Identify social media sites where you are most likely to find your target market. Donât go knocking on wrong doors.
 3. Create a Digital Rolodex
Make it a point that you subscribe to relevant industry leaders, newsletters & blogs. Furthermore, once in a while, visit your closest competitorâs pages, not to see what theyâre doing but to see what theyâre not doing. Your Social Media Plan must have a competitive edge.
Now create your accounts on those social media sites you identified and start sharing useful information. Donât focus on pushing sales, offer advice, tips and promotions. You can share links and videos you think your followers would find interesting, but make sure this is in line with your social media strategy.
 5. Strengthen Relationships
Invite your followers to events that you will be attending as well, and make sure youâre there. Donât hide behind the companyâs avatar, face-to-face communication still remains vital.
Every marketing strategy needs to be measured, including your social media plan. Gauge how effective & successful your social media strategy was and how to attribute any ROI.
 7. Analyse, adapt & improve
Analyse all your social media campaigns, identify new opportunities and eliminate excess efforts. See what you can do better in your next campaign and keep at it.
Apart from generating leads and traffic, your main concern should be increasing the brandâs online presence, build new relationships and forge sales.
One thing you should know is that you are never too small or too big to start taking social media seriously. Be as competitive as possible online, be innovative, take risks and push boundaries. Give people good reasons to follow you on all your social media sites.
According to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, marketers plan to increase of YouTube (76%), Facebook (72%), Twitter (69%), Blogs (68%), Google+ (67%) and LinkedIn by 66%. This shows that companies have realised the importance of integrating social media with their marketing strategies on an on-going basis.Â
 About the Author; Nkosiphambili Edward Molapisi is the  CEO at Apprentice Corporate Logistics, the Founder & Brand Manager at Picture Perfect Brands. He is also the Founder of, Marketing Director & Social Entrepreneur at The Awesome Groupâ˘. You can follow him on twitter as, @SimplyGodFirst
