I have to admit I am addicted to Twitter. I love following folks from around the world. I can talk hockey to a fan in Canada, get advice from an entrepreneur in London and live vicariously through a hilarious travel writer in Minneapolis. That's what makes it so much fun.
I also realize the power social media offers entrepreneurs and small business owners. Used strategically, methodically, consistently and proactively, social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, YouTube, Digg, Reddit, Delicious and other sites can drastically improve your position as an expert in your field, connect with your ideal clients, educate you on current issues and even secure new projects. That's if you are treating it like any other marketing tool.
That means setting goals, short-term objectives, key metrics and deadlines for the social media sites you plan to incorporate into your marketing plan. Just as you would create a plan for your advertising, you should do the same for your key social media platforms. And just as you measure your return on investment in advertising, the same holds true for social media, although instead of counting dollars you could measure awareness, comments, clicks or direct messages,... Just beware of relying on followers, fans or connections to determine how well your plan is succeeding. Not all followers are the same; some people just want to increase their numbers without any intent to provide quality content.
By being strategic about your social media activities, you can drastically reduce the amount of time wasted online and increase awareness for your business.
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5 comments:
Kristina, as I read your post it made me think of something I heard John Denver say at a live concert. He was telling the story of his early years of being at the place where he was doing the concert and "aching for people to sing to." That is the way I view social media for me. As a writer, I simply ache for readers ... for people to connect to through the meaning and intent of my writing.
Thanks for opening this thinking for me.
Love your comment about being useful and not wasting time. Good points, Kristina!
Sue
Wow! Always a pleasure to meet another twitter-lover (we are only 6 percent of the population!) Great points about measurement and strategy. Thanks for sharing Kristina.
I never really "got" social media until I talked with you about using it strategically. It seemed like shooting arrows into the sky and hoping they would hit the people I wanted to reach. But it is SO true that when you approach it strategically, it really can help you get your message in front of the people you most want to share it with. I love Jeff's comment about John Denver. That really does describe how I feel about what I have to share as well. And I'm beginning to see how social media is a way of connecting to those people I want to "sing" to.
yes!! I love this post for many reasons. I love hockey, but more importantly, being strategic.
social media is about relationships, not spamming.
great post
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