Another chapter chunk from Randy Milanovic on Building a Better Website.
Another chapter chunk from Randy Milanovic on Building a Better Website.
Really appreciate the digestible segments.
Originally shared by Randy Milanovic
Another instalment of Better Business Websites book, Chapter7/Strategy #7: Reaching Farther with Social Media
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Please Share This Post - and let me know what you think as well. Always happy to chat this stuff up. :-)
- - - - -
If you’ve been in business for a while, you probably know an owner, executive, or manager who has gotten by — and maybe even done incredibly well — without ever investing in things like marketing or advertising.
That’s because whole companies and careers have been built upon the power of networking, or the simple human desire to do business with other people that we know, like, and trust.
As effective as things like search engine optimization have been, they’ve never been able to come close to matching the power of real relationships... or at least they couldn’t until social media came along.
Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, limited as they are when compared to face-to-face interactions, have come a long way toward bridging the gap between “digital” and “personal.”
Essentially, social media campaigns give you a way to reach out, introduce yourself, and communicate more personally with colleagues, vendors, and potential buyers.
And best of all, the top social media campaigns work just like those traditional networking efforts did, with the value being put on relationships and credibility, rather than keywords and metrics.
It might not be the same as having a glass of scotch with the CEO of a company you’d like to do business with, but social media can also takes a lot less time, travel, and intermediate hoop-jumping.
In other words, it’s something every organization can use, and can use effectively over a long period of time.
Creating a Professionally Branded Social Campaign
Anyone who has done extensive networking in real life knows that it isn’t just about showing up and shaking hands; projecting the right image goes a long way toward making sure your message is received in the right way.
It’s no different on social media sites. Your profile is your business suit, and it definitely shouldn’t look like it’s “off the rack.” That means using the right photos, logos, and even background graphics for your profiles can be important. Additionally, your profiles need to be free of clichés, typos, and other details that kill interest from potential customers or contacts.
For that reason, it’s likely that you’ll want to have your creative team (particularly the marketers and writers) involved in your social media efforts. They can help you ensure that you’re putting your best virtual foot forward, that your campaigns convey specific themes, and that you have the credibility you need to make the right kinds of connections.
Note: Your Intern is Not Your Social Media Director
Often, when we explain the importance of social media to new clients, they get the concept immediately. And, eager to put what they’ve learned into action, they turn to the first person they can find with active Facebook and Twitter accounts — an intern or entry-level staff member - to start "socializing'.
That makes a certain amount of sense, given that these people might be social media “experts” compared to senior management, but it’s also incredibly shortsighted.
Although they might know a few details about how to create posts and content, they aren’t likely fully versed in effective marketing, PR, or your company’s culture, selling propositions, and customer base the way senior people in your business would.
It’s far, far easier, and more effective, to teach someone who can effectively communicate with the public about your company how to use social media accounts than it is to take someone at the bottom of the corporate ladder and turn them into a virtual communications director.
We know this well because we make social media training a core part of our work with every new client. It takes a little bit of time and attention, to be sure, but it’s well worth it.
It might be faster and less expensive to simply put an intern on your social media accounts and let them get started, but that’s no way to delegate such an important task as the public presence/face of your business.
Aggressively Growing Your Contact List
In order for your social media campaigns to be effective, you must have contacts – they are your audience. It goes without saying at this point that contacts are like website visitors, and that the sheer numbers are less important than the type and quality. Still, you’ll want your lists to be growing over time if you’re going to use social sites effectively.
So, how do you grow your lists? A good strategy in the beginning is to add contacts that are already within your circles in real life, and possibly to even ask them for referrals. So, if you have a vendor or colleague who works for someone you’d like to know, begin by adding those types of people.
From there, though, you’re going to grow your list of social contacts the same way you do traffic to your business website: by putting together interesting content and using it to attract interested parties.
Things like tweets, images, blog articles, and even video clips can all be added to your social profiles to interest those within your base of potential customers.
The wonderful thing about great social content is that it can quickly take on a life of its own. So, if you have something particularly interesting or insightful to say, you can count on your contacts to pass it along to their own friends and colleagues. In that way, your list can grow and multiply quickly in a short amount of time.
And don't forget that we have 2 eyes, 2 ears and only one mouth. Look, listen and learn form other users you see are engaged in conversation, making friends and more, then emulate them.
Get to know the platform, the way people interact and what type of engagement/posting gets the right kinds of attention.
Making It Personal
One aspect of nearly every successful social campaign is that it engages people on a personal level. That means that the participants in question tend to let their guard down, at least a little bit, and are sure to engage as individuals rather than a companies.
As a quick example, I once posted pictures of a sea-kayaking trip I’d taken to one of my profiles. It didn’t have anything to do with our marketing agenda, I just thought it was an interesting personal tidbit that a few of the people who knew me professionally might find interesting. One thing led to another, and after one customer had passed it on to a few people he knew, it resulted in a conversation with a new potential client who had a shared interest in the sport.
Did I post the kayaking photos because I thought it would lead to sales opportunities? Of course not. But, by going outside the lines a bit, and being more “human” than “marketer,” I was able to engage a new person(s) in a way that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. That should be one of the goals of your social media campaigns.
Along the same lines, respond to questions, introductions, and even customer service feedback in a similar way. Remember that there are real people on the other end of the messages you receive, not anonymous customers. (See: http://goo.gl/hJZ6NB - it may surprise you on how little we actually know about each other.)
You don’t have to be best friends, but if you can treat each other like individuals, you can bet that personal interaction will be something they’ll remember. And who knows? It just might lead to stronger business relationships and new opportunities in the future.
Taking Advantage of Social Synergy
One common criticism of social media marketing, and particularly the kind of strategy I am outlining here, is that it can seem “soft” to those who are used to harder-edged techniques like pay-per-click advertising or direct mail postcards.
While that’s certainly true in the sense that building relationships is harder to quantify than direct selling techniques are, it also misses the bigger picture.
That’s because social media engagement, like all the concepts in this book, works as a part of the bigger whole. One of your goals is to attract attention from potential buyers and establish relationships with them. Another equally important goal is to use your growing contact list to generate “buzz” about your content and interested attract people to your offers (something I cover in the next section of the book).
As I mentioned before, the real value of social media is that it allows for the spread of interesting content, even marketing messages.
If you invest the time and energy necessary to grow a strong social following, it can pay for itself time and time again as it becomes easier and easier for your best potential customers to find you through your messages and/or referrals from their own contacts.
But, if you’re looking for a quick way to simply boost sales by advertising to your network, it’s not going to happen. In fact, there's an almost inevitable chance that the moment you 'sell" in social, you'll lose opportunities rather than gain them.
In the next chapter, we’ll look at how these pieces start to come together to create sales opportunities. As we do, remember that all of the pieces of your business website and online marketing plan work together to make that happen, and none of them is nearly as effective on its own.
BONUS MATERIAL:
Pro Tip: Look at your social media networking as business casual networking - it's more casual than a networking event. You can get personal and build relationships that lead to real business deals, but it is less work-focused.
Resources: How to Set Up a Social Media Command Center from the {grow} blog ( http://goo.gl/97o0dt courtesy of Mark Schaefer )
Further Reading: A Social Media Myth Debunked: You Don't Have to Use Them All (http://goo.gl/sktrxU)
#betterbusinesswebsites #betterwebsites #socialtips
---
FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS (a Review would be super helpful as well) :-) Amazon link: http://goo.gl/KBsmrF (please leave a review if you feel I've earned one.)
---
http://www.kayakonlinemarketing.com/building-better-business-websites-ebook
Really appreciate the digestible segments.
Originally shared by Randy Milanovic
Another instalment of Better Business Websites book, Chapter7/Strategy #7: Reaching Farther with Social Media
- - - - -
Please Share This Post - and let me know what you think as well. Always happy to chat this stuff up. :-)
- - - - -
If you’ve been in business for a while, you probably know an owner, executive, or manager who has gotten by — and maybe even done incredibly well — without ever investing in things like marketing or advertising.
That’s because whole companies and careers have been built upon the power of networking, or the simple human desire to do business with other people that we know, like, and trust.
As effective as things like search engine optimization have been, they’ve never been able to come close to matching the power of real relationships... or at least they couldn’t until social media came along.
Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, limited as they are when compared to face-to-face interactions, have come a long way toward bridging the gap between “digital” and “personal.”
Essentially, social media campaigns give you a way to reach out, introduce yourself, and communicate more personally with colleagues, vendors, and potential buyers.
And best of all, the top social media campaigns work just like those traditional networking efforts did, with the value being put on relationships and credibility, rather than keywords and metrics.
It might not be the same as having a glass of scotch with the CEO of a company you’d like to do business with, but social media can also takes a lot less time, travel, and intermediate hoop-jumping.
In other words, it’s something every organization can use, and can use effectively over a long period of time.
Creating a Professionally Branded Social Campaign
Anyone who has done extensive networking in real life knows that it isn’t just about showing up and shaking hands; projecting the right image goes a long way toward making sure your message is received in the right way.
It’s no different on social media sites. Your profile is your business suit, and it definitely shouldn’t look like it’s “off the rack.” That means using the right photos, logos, and even background graphics for your profiles can be important. Additionally, your profiles need to be free of clichés, typos, and other details that kill interest from potential customers or contacts.
For that reason, it’s likely that you’ll want to have your creative team (particularly the marketers and writers) involved in your social media efforts. They can help you ensure that you’re putting your best virtual foot forward, that your campaigns convey specific themes, and that you have the credibility you need to make the right kinds of connections.
Note: Your Intern is Not Your Social Media Director
Often, when we explain the importance of social media to new clients, they get the concept immediately. And, eager to put what they’ve learned into action, they turn to the first person they can find with active Facebook and Twitter accounts — an intern or entry-level staff member - to start "socializing'.
That makes a certain amount of sense, given that these people might be social media “experts” compared to senior management, but it’s also incredibly shortsighted.
Although they might know a few details about how to create posts and content, they aren’t likely fully versed in effective marketing, PR, or your company’s culture, selling propositions, and customer base the way senior people in your business would.
It’s far, far easier, and more effective, to teach someone who can effectively communicate with the public about your company how to use social media accounts than it is to take someone at the bottom of the corporate ladder and turn them into a virtual communications director.
We know this well because we make social media training a core part of our work with every new client. It takes a little bit of time and attention, to be sure, but it’s well worth it.
It might be faster and less expensive to simply put an intern on your social media accounts and let them get started, but that’s no way to delegate such an important task as the public presence/face of your business.
Aggressively Growing Your Contact List
In order for your social media campaigns to be effective, you must have contacts – they are your audience. It goes without saying at this point that contacts are like website visitors, and that the sheer numbers are less important than the type and quality. Still, you’ll want your lists to be growing over time if you’re going to use social sites effectively.
So, how do you grow your lists? A good strategy in the beginning is to add contacts that are already within your circles in real life, and possibly to even ask them for referrals. So, if you have a vendor or colleague who works for someone you’d like to know, begin by adding those types of people.
From there, though, you’re going to grow your list of social contacts the same way you do traffic to your business website: by putting together interesting content and using it to attract interested parties.
Things like tweets, images, blog articles, and even video clips can all be added to your social profiles to interest those within your base of potential customers.
The wonderful thing about great social content is that it can quickly take on a life of its own. So, if you have something particularly interesting or insightful to say, you can count on your contacts to pass it along to their own friends and colleagues. In that way, your list can grow and multiply quickly in a short amount of time.
And don't forget that we have 2 eyes, 2 ears and only one mouth. Look, listen and learn form other users you see are engaged in conversation, making friends and more, then emulate them.
Get to know the platform, the way people interact and what type of engagement/posting gets the right kinds of attention.
Making It Personal
One aspect of nearly every successful social campaign is that it engages people on a personal level. That means that the participants in question tend to let their guard down, at least a little bit, and are sure to engage as individuals rather than a companies.
As a quick example, I once posted pictures of a sea-kayaking trip I’d taken to one of my profiles. It didn’t have anything to do with our marketing agenda, I just thought it was an interesting personal tidbit that a few of the people who knew me professionally might find interesting. One thing led to another, and after one customer had passed it on to a few people he knew, it resulted in a conversation with a new potential client who had a shared interest in the sport.
Did I post the kayaking photos because I thought it would lead to sales opportunities? Of course not. But, by going outside the lines a bit, and being more “human” than “marketer,” I was able to engage a new person(s) in a way that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. That should be one of the goals of your social media campaigns.
Along the same lines, respond to questions, introductions, and even customer service feedback in a similar way. Remember that there are real people on the other end of the messages you receive, not anonymous customers. (See: http://goo.gl/hJZ6NB - it may surprise you on how little we actually know about each other.)
You don’t have to be best friends, but if you can treat each other like individuals, you can bet that personal interaction will be something they’ll remember. And who knows? It just might lead to stronger business relationships and new opportunities in the future.
Taking Advantage of Social Synergy
One common criticism of social media marketing, and particularly the kind of strategy I am outlining here, is that it can seem “soft” to those who are used to harder-edged techniques like pay-per-click advertising or direct mail postcards.
While that’s certainly true in the sense that building relationships is harder to quantify than direct selling techniques are, it also misses the bigger picture.
That’s because social media engagement, like all the concepts in this book, works as a part of the bigger whole. One of your goals is to attract attention from potential buyers and establish relationships with them. Another equally important goal is to use your growing contact list to generate “buzz” about your content and interested attract people to your offers (something I cover in the next section of the book).
As I mentioned before, the real value of social media is that it allows for the spread of interesting content, even marketing messages.
If you invest the time and energy necessary to grow a strong social following, it can pay for itself time and time again as it becomes easier and easier for your best potential customers to find you through your messages and/or referrals from their own contacts.
But, if you’re looking for a quick way to simply boost sales by advertising to your network, it’s not going to happen. In fact, there's an almost inevitable chance that the moment you 'sell" in social, you'll lose opportunities rather than gain them.
In the next chapter, we’ll look at how these pieces start to come together to create sales opportunities. As we do, remember that all of the pieces of your business website and online marketing plan work together to make that happen, and none of them is nearly as effective on its own.
BONUS MATERIAL:
Pro Tip: Look at your social media networking as business casual networking - it's more casual than a networking event. You can get personal and build relationships that lead to real business deals, but it is less work-focused.
Resources: How to Set Up a Social Media Command Center from the {grow} blog ( http://goo.gl/97o0dt courtesy of Mark Schaefer )
Further Reading: A Social Media Myth Debunked: You Don't Have to Use Them All (http://goo.gl/sktrxU)
#betterbusinesswebsites #betterwebsites #socialtips
---
FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS (a Review would be super helpful as well) :-) Amazon link: http://goo.gl/KBsmrF (please leave a review if you feel I've earned one.)
---
http://www.kayakonlinemarketing.com/building-better-business-websites-ebook
Thank you Zara Altair - I hope these have been helpful.
ReplyDeleteRandy Milanovic Very! Thanks for the delivery frame!
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDelete