You may have jumped on board with social media right away. You saw the significance of connecting with potential clients and industry peers on all the various platforms, so you created multiple profiles and pages. Maybe the excitement has worn off and you are seeing very little interaction on your various pages

Are you wondering what happened and why social media doesn’t seem to be paying off?

You need a strategy!

Keep it simple

Social media can be fun, but it also takes effort to make it work for your business. Start by finding where your clients and target market spend time. You don’t need a presence on every social media platform. That can become overwhelming to manage and your information will quickly become neglected and outdated. Take time to listen and look around to see which sites attract your target market and your peers. Look for the sites where people are already talking about issues that apply to your small business.

Facebook is the most populated social media site with “1.15 billion active monthly users” according to ForbesForbes also predicts that Google+ will be a major player for business in 2014 because of its integration with all of the other Google tools. You may want to start with these two social media sites.

Maintain your social media

Stay up to date. Keep your profiles and pages updated with the most current information about your business. Your pages are ineffective if they don’t provide current information about your business to your potential clients. To engage your community regularly post pictures, comments, links to helpful content, frequently asked questions and more. Also, promptly acknowledge any comments or responses. The more interaction you have on your various accounts the more people will see your small business. Facebook, for example, places posts in your fan’s newsfeed. When you have more conversation happening on your page you are more likely to show up in a fan’s newsfeed.

Branding

Your profiles and pages are significant representation of your business. Make sure you maintain your brand throughout your online presence. Your profiles and pages should look professional and match your website. Use the same graphics, colours and logos everywhere. You want your small business to be recognised instantly and you want potential clients to recognise you for the right reasons, not because your branding sucks.

Be consistent, use the same logo, the same font across all of your social media.  For some of you, you may have different logos for different aspects of your business.  Make sure you always take the time to double check that you are using the right one in the right space.

Don’t neglect your accounts

When you don’t use social media or neglect your accounts you are missing an opportunity for free marketing. Unlike advertisements or fliers, social media allows you to engage your current and potential clients in meaningful interaction. You can also easily demonstrate your expertise in your field, making your small business more credible. When people feel like they know you and can trust you they will be ready to spend their money supporting your business.

For social media to work for your business, you have to put in time. Social media is just like any other marketing tool and you should have strategies and goals when you are using it. An active, engaging social media account will generate fans and clients and ultimately profits.

Top 5 takeouts from maintaining your online profiles:

  1. Make a strategy. Social media only works when you put in time and effort.
  2. Choose your platforms. Use the sites that work for you, delete the profiles or pages that don’t.
  3. Engage your community. Be active in generating content and responding to interactions.
  4. Be consistent. Use your brand on every page or profile you maintain.
  5. Neglecting your social media accounts can hurt your image. Potential clients looking for your online presence will be turned off by outdated information.

Leave a comment and let me know how you are keeping up with your social media.