Suitable Social Media

You want to have a social media presence for your business, but not sure which platform to use…or what is a platform?
How are you going to manage it? How much time will I be behind that computer...again??
How do I know if what I am doing, is working?
What are you going to say?

There are many reasons why we choose to go online, for anything. Generally we go on to research a new idea, the latest deal or promotion at our favourite store, dream about holidays, gift ideas...some even get online to chat to friends from all over the world.
Knowing this, and having a strategic mindset, you will come to understand that by having an online presence, you open your business up to more client channels.

What is your definition of a client?
Cli•ent (kl nt)

1. The party for which professional services are rendered, as by an attorney.
2. A customer or patron: clients of the hotel.
3. A person using the services of a social services agency.
4. One that depends on the protection of another.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

What is your definition of social media?
Social•media is an umbrella term that defines various activities integrating technology, social interaction, and construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.
This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

STOP & Breathe…
Just like any plan, your social media strategy is defined by a series of steps. Take your Marketing Strategy and integrate social media with it – this will save you some time.
In your Marketing plan your target audience has been identified (as has your brand/product/service). Apply this to your online social media strategy.
Identify social media suitability
Ask yourself, what type of information do I have right now?
1. Do you write articles?
2. Do submit product reviews?
3. Do you send out client newsletters?
4. Do you request feedback on any form of media?
5. Are any of your materials digital? Can these be stored on the internet?
All of these are pieces of information that can be used in your social media platform(s). You don’t need extra information at all! Maybe an odd quote or question would definitely not go astray (conversation starters!) – But you do need to be able to sustain and maintain your online communication. The online community will come to know your online submission trends, and watch out for your latest information. This is…online rapport building – increasing their confidence in YOU…

Start off slowly, and see what works for you – give it time to grow. Don’t expect enormous changes overnight, or within 7 days, allow at least 6 months!
Depending on your type of business, some platforms are more useful than others.
LinkedIn – for professional audiences
Facebook – Fun, viral, various age groups
Twitter – microblog
Blogger – any form of blog (such as the one you are reading)
YouTube – very useful for instructions, music/dance, health, customer feedback, “reports” – the more You Tube clips you have, the more chance you are found – as long as you always include somewhere there on your contact details (best be your website address)
My recommendation are all of these, or some of. These are the most popular social media applications that are used – and relatively easy to navigate around and use.

On a final note - upload images, links, videos and start talking to those online! Always try to think of the reader when providing information!

What is a blog?
A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log.
Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”.
A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files).
Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular “area of interest”, such as Washington, D.C.’s political goings-on. Some blogs discuss personal experiences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Effective Blog Tips
The user experience of a blog is determined by two factors – author activity and reader activity. Ultimately the goal of a blog is to increase the activity and create discussions; provoke thought – create a knowledge base.
The below points highlight areas that can be focused upon in order to achieve a successful blog. .

Accessibility
Give the readers an ability to receive posts via email – you cannot assume that users understand RSS feeds.

Controversy!
Most successful blogs create conversations on the web about topics that have yet to be discussed in detail; topics where people have definitive opinions. Think about intense discussions in a physical sense – and relate it to an online environment. Same principal. Topics that are controversial are great for blogs as they start conversation.
Why would someone want to get involved in an outdated topic that has been solved, proven, or talked about from all angles?

Voice
You as a blogger are an author. People read specific books because of writing style, opinion, (subject) and personality – the same principle applies to a blog. Test out your writing styles to match your readers.
Which one works best? The one where you get replies!

Become a Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Do not be scared to discuss on other blogs in the same topic. Others will see your posts, and consequently want to know your back ground and see how much you really do know!
If someone goes to a blog with zero comments for every post, sometimes that can give the impression that no-one reads it.

Link Link Link
A smart idea would be to link various viewpoints – which will keep readers coming back for more conversation. This will also help in getting people linking back to you.

Writing Style
Look at the direction of the way your posts are written. Do you want to end your blog post with an open question? Or a closed question?
Having a closed question really ends any conversation. Think about this. If you were talking to someone and said:
“Would you be interested in going to Hawaii?”
Reply: “Yes”
OR
“Why would you want to go to Hawaii?”
Reply 1: “Because of the nice beaches, the surf, the people, the history of Pearl harbour”
Reply 2 “Why is Pearl Harbour so talked about still?”
Reply 3 “Pear Harbour is part of the world history….etc”
This conversation could go on because it is emotion based and gets people thinking and wanting to voice an opinion. Rather than blogging about would I yes/no be interested in going to Hawaii.

Another way is to research and learn from other SUCCESSFUL bloggers.