Business social marketing is about building relationships with other like-minded people. There is no magic secret that the gurus know and you don’t. It really is that simple.
The first success tip is to give worthwhile content. Make sure the articles you are linking to in your tweets and the things you are putting on your Facebook profile are good quality content. Pre-read everything you send to your followers and your friends; it will save you headaches and stop following you in the future.
Try to tweet at the same time every day for the best results. Ideally, it should be early in the afternoon or late at night, as those are the times when people are most social.
Be transparent in your profile. Be sure to post photos of your family, videos of your dog, things you do professionally, and things that will help people build a relationship with you. I have often found that the material people they react to best are of a personal nature. It can be something from my past that I shared with them, a story of how I learned something, or things that I’m working on.
In fact, one of the best ways to get people excited about what you’re doing is to let them help you. This is the beta aspect of business. If you let other people see what you’re doing even though it’s not polished, it will still have a positive effect on them.
Fourth, don’t pay attention to the numbers at first. Unfortunately, Google Analytics won’t tell you what kind of results you’re getting from your company’s social marketing. That data will come over time, but not right away (unless, of course, you’re on the Digg.com home page and you’re worried about keeping your server up and running).
Finally stay consistent. Building your business through social media is all about brand recognition. It’s about choosing something and sticking with it. In fact, it’s a bit like college. You commit to a four-year education so you can come out the other side with a degree.
Social media works the same way. Your goal is to get new clients, get new prospects and earn more money; you just need to spend the required time.
