Social media marketing aims to build awareness, communications, connections, customer service, and sales by participating in social media and social networking platforms. Successful social media marketing is not about the tools -- blogs, wikis, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. -- but how the tools are used strategically. Here are some social media content do's and don'ts to help ensure that your social media strategy is effective.
DO make sure your social media content is about something bigger than your organization -- focus on your "why" rather than your "what." If you have a business that provides high-quality speakers for a sound system, then the "why" people buy from you is for a quality audio experience. If you think even bigger, the "why" reason people buy your "what" is for the love of music or acoustics. Your content on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. can be focused on tips, articles or advice that tie into that bigger "why" to create more meaningful connections.
DON'T share only content that is about your company. Current and prospective customers want content that is about them, not about you. Customers do want to know about helpful or educational things that you offer, but when the content is only about your "what" and not about the bigger "why," then people don't have enough reason to connect or come back for more.
DO become a "web gemologist." Share great articles, tips, quotes, advice, and wisdom that comes from people not just within your organization, but also outside of your organization. Gather and share those web gems to become a hub of information. If you can be a one-stop source for helpful, relevant, interesting content via social media, then you become a sought-after social media maven. Sharing other people's content (giving them proper credit of course) on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn saves people time and energy. They'd rather go to one source for gems of web wisdom. Edit out the "noise" and share great content on your social media platforms. Compile these web gems to be recognized as a thought leader in your industry and enjoy the connections you make socially. Other people and organizations whose content you shared will be grateful too. Often the favors are returned with reciprocal mentions, invites to write a guest blog post, retweets, or Facebook mentions.
DON'T feel like all of your social media content has to be personally written by you or your organization. The thought of having to produce tons of social media content is overwhelming. When we are overwhelmed, we tend to avoid doing anything. Social media marketing is about community, collaboration, conversation, and calculated management. We win with social media content, not by coming up with a ton of words on our own, but by combining our own unique content with content aggregation from others. This becomes long term collateral. It is quite permissible to repurpose content into multiple places on social media. You can have a press release on your media page; re-purpose it into a more conversational tone on your blog; and also share the message on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. People will not see your content in the same way or place, so get comfortable with having content re-purposed in multiple venues for greater visibility.
DO embrace the three V's of social media marketing -- Value, Values and Voice. Post content that has value to your reader, be authentic in your content by adding your personal opinions (your values), and get in the habit of repeatedly voicing your value and values on the web through mindful content publishing. The power of social media and networking to create a voice for your organization enables you to brand, build, and boost business.
DON'T avoid social media marketing. In today's social web world, the pace that we access information, communicate, and make purchase decisions is fast. "Slow" is the same as "stop" on the web. Don't avoid social media. Do educate yourself, have a social media strategy, and be savvy to content creation that is meaningful and matters to your prospective customers.
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