Anatomy of Social Media Campaigns
If we ask ourselves what people are looking for when they do a search online, then social media campaigns should make an effort to meet the needs of those searches. Online searches can vary with a wide range of topics, yet all of them break down to these basics: users are looking for ideas, solutions, people, products or information.
Many business owners are overwhelmed by all the options, yet the potential for social media success is worth investigating all the options.
Creating Content for Web Searches
There is always something to create and share within your realm of expertise. You can write a “How To” article or create a video for an even better visual. If you are a photographer, then share your topic with sequential photos on your own blog and on Instagram or Flickr.
Make an effort to create compelling content which will meet an informational need for others. For instance, if you are a balloon maker then you may want to “follow” event planners and organizers because your businesses are already complimentary. At your next event, have photos taken of you and the event organizers and post those on your channel of choice. This creates enthusiasm for your brand. Be sure to use key “content” words within your text and when labeling photos. This will help people find your blog or website.
Pick Your Channels
After creating your content, simply copy the link and paste into your favorite social media network.
Are the people you are trying to connect with on Twitter? Are they on Facebook or Google Plus? Surprising new data just came out from Hub Spot the most effective place for lead generation is on Linked In and it seems the hottest new channel of 2012 is Pinterest. Each of the social media channels can be effective in combination or just by themselves, it just depends on the time you have.
Making it Easy?
Many people choose Twitter as their media hub and “tweet” out all their information from there. I would caution that each gathering place has language of their own and “twitter talk” is not one of them. The human touch of sharing at each point of contact and being real is important.
Even though more companies are putting a process together for “automated” marketing by scheduling posts through Hoot Suite, TweetDeck, or Tweetie, this “push marketing” is missing the point of “social” media. That missing piece is interaction and helping others.
It’s Not All About You
So you’re not the life of the party, but a real “wall flower”? Not to worry, you can still meet others, talk about their event, give someone a little encouragement or maybe just hit a “like” button or “retweet” from time to time. The person on the other end may in turn take a look at what you have to offer, which can begin an online friendship and possible future contact and business.
Unfortunately there is no secret formula for success in social media – it simply takes time, writing, sharing photos and working the social media circuits.
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