The key to a successful social media campaign is creating a meaningful connection with your audience. You want them to share, to comment and to recommend you to their own circles. It’s called social media for a reason and that is because you have to put yourself at the forefront; show your personality and tell the story of your brand. In order to turn your followers into raving fans, you have to build trust.
With social media, just as in life, you have to be trustworthy, generous, kind, patient and generally stand-up if you want others to trust you.
Work on it:
Every day, just spend a couple of minutes on each of your social media platforms commenting and giving posts you like a +1 (for Google+), a Facebook ‘like’ or a Twitter ‘favorite’. You should interact with at least 4 or 5 other posts a couple of times a day. Tip: familiarity breeds consent.
Less is more:
Be very selective about which social media platforms you adopt. Creating accounts on all of them, then just posting into the abyss is a waste of your valuable time. Instead; curate, cultivate and care for each of your platforms. Tip: It’s best to do a few social media platforms really well than many badly.
Valuable content:
Don’t just post things that advertise what you do or serve your own ends. Instead provide valuable content, share links that are helpful, provide support and camaraderie to your fellow posters. Tip: Be kind, generous and genuine.
5% rule:
Only about 5% of the content you post should be about your business. The rest should be a healthy mix of reposts and content that is of value to your readers.
Be kind:
I’m not kidding. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything. Sure, trolls are awful and if someone posts rude, demeaning, or offensive comments on your site, feel free to delete them. What you don’t want to do is get into fights with people on the internet.
Trust:
If you want to foster trust, you must be trusting. And besides, giving is better than receiving. You also need to be trustworthy; that means full disclosure when you are posting sponsored items.
Stick to what you know:
You are an expert in your field, so stick to it! Being trustworthy entails disseminating information that is accurate. Part of the reason you are on social media is to establish your credentials and show that you are an expert in your chosen field.
Social media is your friend, and all your followers are potential clients. Go ahead, just be yourself and most of all; have fun.
