subject: Seo.co.uk's Top 10 Social Media Tips For Building Traffic [print this page] Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg found himself climbing up the world's richest people list again this month, according to Forbes. It underlines the impact that social media has had on millions of lives, and it's impossible to gauge how large the phenomenon will grow or when it will ever stop.
But, as far as we're concerned, the surface has only been scratched for social media's marketing and advertising implications. To some extent social media already plays a large role when companies promote their products and services online - as Old Spice has recently discovered, the attention received should an advertising campaign go viral is simply out of this world.
We're looking forward to seeing the evolution of social media marketing at www.SEO.co.uk, but like most things in life, a campaign won't be of any use if the basics aren't perfected and mastered from the outset. Here are our top 10 social media marketing tips to help you build a following for your brand, and how to move forward from there:
Be a follower
Networking is the name of the social media game, and you aren't going to see any movements in your online campaign unless you build up an impressive following. But to build up that following, you also have to become a follower. Adding people on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn who are associated to your industry in some way allows you to contact them, and helps you to build bridges. Word of mouth is still the world's best form of advertising - and it's free!
Be friendly
Always be honest, open and friendly. All of the connections you make on your social networks may be potential customers. If these people aren't in your target market then they might know somebody who is. This is one of the downsides of word of mouth - negative press spreads just as quickly as the positive. You're representing your brand and need to do it justice online at all times.
Always be on call
Social networking never stops. People may send you a tweet or post on your Facebook page before 9am or after 5pm - often deep into the night whilst they're browsing the internet in their spare time. The quicker you can respond to them and answer their question, or even just chat to them, the more you will stick in their mind as a progressive company who is able to help them out as soon as they need their question answering.
Promote your best deals and special offers
After establishing you user base and getting a trusted set of followers it is then an idea to start posting a special offer or deal for your products every now and then. Doing it first through your social media platforms is great for word of mouth and to ensure it spreads on a viral basis, meaning a better return on your products. Don't do it too often though - your users may stop following you if it looks like you're only trying to shift your stock.
Stir up debate
By associating your online brand with others in your field, you're sure to get a wealth of industry information you may have otherwise missed out on. Talk to them about it. Share it amongst your followers and encourage opinion. Stirring up debate is a key way to get users coming back to your brand, especially if you're an authority on a certain subject.
Bolster your brand
Don't restrict yourself to one social media platform. There's so many of them out there - spread your brand across all of them and create an extensive profile for each. Why only create a Facebook page when it can be complemented by Twitter, YouTube, Digg, LinkedIn and more? If the option is available, add more pictures to albums to show off different areas of your company. Indulge your followers - show them what happens behind the brand now and then to emphasise the effort that goes into each and every order!
Maximise images and other forms of media
Social media is great because you can integrate all of your other profiles alongside it. You can post a video on YouTube for instance and get it more exposure through Twitter. If you want to create videos then keep them short and sweet - don't overload your followers with information. Also remember that pictures paint a thousand words. Post something quirky now and then that you've noticed in your office, or a brand new item that's just come into stock to entertain your customers rather than just concentrate on the sales aspect.
Reward loyalty
Social media is a long-term and reasonably time-intensive commitment. As such, you'll probably recognise the same faces popping up time and time again to comment on your posts or who are redistributing your content to their friends and followers in turn. These are your most loyal customers. Thank them by giving them a mention telling everybody else what a great online asset they've been or offer them a discount on some of your products or entrance into a prize draw. It's one of the easiest ways for the rest of your followers to sit up and take notice of your brand.
Maintenance is essential...
...especially if you've entrusted someone in your company with your social media updates. Keep a constant vigil on everything that they post to make sure they aren't going off track and that the company voice/message is always being adhered to. Consistency is very important in social media. Also perform regular maintenance on things accessible to the public, such as Facebook pages. There's nothing worse than visiting a page littered with spam or inappropriate messages.
Be creative!
Finally, there's no better way to attract people than be being creative and offering something different from your competitors. This is the best way to get something of yours to go viral, by creating content that makes them sit up and go "wow", that they retweet or share on their Facebook wall. Stand out from the crowd to attract a wider user base and to become a real trailblazer online.
