Gone are the days when so many marketers were debating the pros and cons of investing even a small portion of their time and budgets in social media. Almost everyone agrees now that when it comes to social media, we’re talking about a revolutionary sea change in how consumers, clients and customers interact with companies, not merely a passing fad.
That’s the good news.
Unfortunately, despite how much progress we’ve made when it comes to social media technologies, tools and tactics, we still have a long way to go when it comes to people using all of the above effectively for business purposes.
Truth is, social media works wonders for those who understand its nuances and idiosyncrasies, but those who don’t will get nowhere fast on these relatively new online channels.
Here are three key ingredients to success as a social media marketer that simply can’t be overlooked.
1. Authenticity. Your audience can get their news anywhere, but they can’t get your particular outlook on life anywhere else but from you. Be your own brand. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Those who are the most successful on social media are those who keep it unequivocally real. Pause before you post, but don’t think everything you have to share has to be scripted, sculpted, rehearsed and rehashed. Some of the best moments on social media are those that are up close and unguarded.
2. Immediacy. It’s one thing to schedule some of your content to be published automatically. A steady cadence is important. But you don’t want to simply set it and forget it. Sometimes the more impromptu you are with your news and opinions, the better. Monitor what’s trending for opportunities to opine. Jump into conversations. Live in the moment on social media as often as possible. Tweet, post, share and comment whenever the opportunity presents itself. The early bird gets the worm — or in this case, all the respect, credibility and attention.
3. Frequency. There are many steps you can take to put the odds in your favor that your content will be seen by those whose attention you covet. Including keywords and hashtags is important in social media marketing. Knowing when your audience is online will help you increase your reach and engagement rates. Promoting your posts every once in a while will also make a big difference. But not being shy about sharing content here, there and everywhere, time and time again, is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your presence will be duly noted by your followers, fans and friends at one time or another.
Note: The original version of this post was published on ClickZ on May 26, 2016. To read the post there, click here.
If you have any questions about social media, the social media marketing team at Overdrive has the answers. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
