Social media is a wonderful and growing marketing tool for ANY business, but it can be tough to keep up with. Real tough. It takes time and dedication to keep up with the constant changes in terms of features and user interaction. Tremendous opportunities present themselves with each of the many platforms out there. But remember, it’s not necessarily the platform you choose but how consistently you use it and how engaged your audience is.
Social media allows us to connect with so many more people now than ever before; in fact, more than 2 billion people are on social media today. It’s amazing to think of the number of people who are only one, two, or three connections away from you. You can reach your target audience much easier and faster with social media. The opportunity exists, but you have to invest the time and knowledge to take full advantage. It’s all about one-on-one connections on social media. People don’t want to be “sold to” or “talked at.”. They want to have an authentic experience and a relationship with you and your business. You must grow your business — and gain their trust — one relationship at a time. Find like-minded people to be your clients, because this will result in much more successful business relationships and thus higher profits.
Social media has been around for more than a decade now and has evolved tremendously since its inception. Setting up a profile on all these platforms, staying engaged, and knowing what to post can be daunting. We struggle with these issues, too, and are constantly trying new things to keep up with the ever-changing social media landscape. Taking the leap and getting started is the first step. After that, it gets better. Think of it as a flywheel, where at first it’s hard but as momentum takes over it becomes much easier.
It’s difficult to know where to start on social media if it’s something new to you and your business. We recommend selecting one platform and mastering it first before you implement another one. Each platform offers unique features and benefits, and you must determine which platform your clients and prospects spend their time on, along with what makes sense for your business. Social media can, however, be mastered through some training and education.
This may all seem overwhelming to take on but don’t let that stop you from learning more and harnessing the power of social media. Over the course of the next couple of blogs, I’m going to dive deeper into the different platforms, so make sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive the next editions.
Click here to read the second part of the three part blog series.
