One of the common struggles I hear from business owners and sales reps alike, is the difficulty they have being consistent on Social Media. In order to have any real impact, just like exercise or learning a foreign language, you have to practice regularly if you want results.
I have uncovered some of the mental blocks that cause business owners to avoid or neglect their Social Media. Take the advice given in the next four tips, and you’ll be on your way to maximizing your marketing opportunities via Social Media.
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Under Construction. Please excuse the mess.
The development of your social media is a journey, and an ongoing work in progress. While it would be nice to magically have an exciting profile with lots of followers and built-in content ready to post at your fingertips, unless you pay someone to manage your social media, this isn’t realistic. You, or one of your employees will have to put in the work. Sure, you can buy a bunch of fake followers just for show, but that’s exactly all it will be: a facade. In order to engage your market and achieve meaningful responses to your posts, you should accept that it will take time and effort. May as well get started now.
2. Yes, you DO have something to say to the “world.”
“I don’t have anything I want to tell the world,” or “I don’t care what you ate for breakfast this morning” are common sentiments expressed by Anti-Social Media folks. I beg to differ. SOMEONE very well may want to know what YOU ate for breakfast, even if it’s not reciprocal. SOMEONE may be on Facebook or Twitter at this very moment, who’s in need of your product or service. Even shy or private people can become successful influencers on social media. Focus not on worrying about the reasons you don’t want to get on social media, but on the missed sales and marketing opportunities if you don’t. Passing up free advertising is like failing to take advantage of an employers’ 401 match.
3. Can’t Stand Social Media? Get Over It.
Social Media may not be your cup of tea, but like it or not, it’s not going anywhere. Technology will never replace human interaction, but you may as well take advantage of it when you can. Consider LinkedIn if you are still not ready to take the leap to Twitter or Instagram. Many social media averse business owners are at least comfortable with LinkedIn. Start with leveraging these connections and making regular posts and sharing articles. Encourage your employees to be active on LinkedIn as well, so that your business can benefit from networking and potential growth opportunities. One of the major strengths of LinkedIn is that it can provide you with tailored leads, with criteria set by you.
In an era of social selling, resign yourself to a making a long-term commitment to your social media strategy, don’t worry about others’ opinions of your posts, and when all else fails, actively post and make connections on LinkedIn, and you will reap the benefits sooner than you may think.
