Owners and employees of small businesses have
heard the advice over and over again: you need to be using social media to
promote your company, engage with your customers, and spread the word about
your product. However, this comes as a burden to many business owners who can't
find enough time to use traditional marketing methods or balance the other
responsibilities they face on a daily basis. Many businesses resort to hiring
what has come to be known as a "Social Media Manager" - someone who
can take responsibility for managing the business' social networking accounts
and keeping engaged with followers. If your business has hired someone for this
position or is considering the best possible way to maintain these accounts for
a minimal cost, consider the following tips:
1. You don't need to
be a "ninja" or a "guru" to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites.
One only need browse the classified section in
their local community to see that a plethora of businesses are seeking to hire
what they call "social media gurus" - a name which presumably arose
from the idea that social media is something need be mastered by people with a
honed skill or very specific knowledge. However, this couldn't be further from
the truth: social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used by people
of all ages and only take a little bit of time to get used to. Even business
owners who claim that they are "too old for Facebook" or "don't
understand it" or "prefer to interact with people in person" can
get the hang of the site very quickly. Facebook in particular is equipped with
a very interactive tutorial made for people - and more specifically, business
owners - who have no idea how to use the site. Therefore, before making the
decision to hire someone to manage these accounts, ask yourself whether your
business could save money by having existing staff do the job.
2. Even if they grew
up frequently using social media, not all young people are apt to manage
business accounts on these sites.
Being young and computer-savvy is not always
enough to be a successful social media manager. If you intend to hire someone
to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more, you need to first ask them
questions about how they envision that their management of these sites will
increase profits for your business. If they can't answer this question, they
are most likely not ready to take on a role as a social media manager. Even if
someone spends all their time on their personal social media accounts, they
might not necessarily think like a business person. And if you are spending
money on online marketing, you need to make sure that the end result is money for your
business.
Be consistent.
Unfortunately, signing up for these websites
is not enough; you need to be visiting them on a frequent basis to reach their
full potential. This means blogging at least a couple times a week, always
attempting to grow your "friends" or "followers," or
brainstorming ideas for how to keep users engaged with your business' online
presence. It cannot be said whether the trends in social media marketing will
persist, but it is no myth that they are currently one of the most effective
trends in marketing and it is important to make the most of it to increase
profits for your business.
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