10 Commandments of Social Media

www.standardmarketing.ca

Standard Marketing - ebook - The 10 Commandments of Social Media


Standard Marketing - ebook

The 10 Commandmentsof Social Media

http://www.facebook.com/standardmarketing

http://www.linkedin.com/company/598685

http://twitter.com/StandardMarktg

http://plus.google.com/116461130030499198675?rel=author

http://pinterest.com/standardmrkting/



Table of contents

Introduction - 3

1. Brand It! - 4

2. Be Socially Proactive - 6

3. Know Who to Follow/Like - 8

4. Show Personality - 10

5. Create Content - 12

6. Interact - 14

7. Engage - 16

8. Keep Current - 18

9. Schedule - 20

10. Link Back to Your Website - 22

11. How Standard Marketing Can Help - 24








Social Media has grown from being a Facebook thing to a wide range of social networks each with their own niche and reputation. Now there’s a social network out there for everyone. Whether you work in manufacturing, service, or retail, there’s a social network for your business. But be-fore you start testing out which platforms pres-ent the best opportunities there are some impor-tant guidelines you should be aware of.

While every Social Network has some unique rules and functions, there are a number of guidelines that apply to all successful Social Media Campaigns. Our team has put together a list of 10 that we feel should be followed by any business planning a social media campaign.








1. Brand It!








When possible, avoid the default look of your chosen Social Networks. Use your logo, company colors, and any brand identifiers that you can when setting up your profile. This includes background images, backdrop images, profile pictures, taglines and more. Try to ensure your entire social presence is well branded, professional and consistent. This will help the general public and your followers recognize you better, and it also reflects a higher level of professionalism.








2. Be Socially Proactive








Follow and “like” others first and they will reciprocate. Develop personas for your ideal target markets and discover where they get together online. Your target market may prefer YouTube to Facebook, or Tumblr over Google+. A little research will help you understand which social networks work best for your business.

Once you find your prospects earn their trust and acknowledgement by sharing relevant and interesting content. Don’t be pushy. Remember social media is just like any other social setting you’ve ever been to, like walking into a party where you don’t know anybody - you want to create conversation with people, not yell at them or talk so much they can’t share their own opinions.

With an increasing number of social networks some are becoming known for attracting specific demographics. For instance, Pinterest and Snapchat are predominately used by the female market, where as LinkedIn is known for being the most mature social network, often attracting middle-aged users.








3. Know Who to Follow/Like








Many businesses pack their Social Media networks with businesses similar to theirs, but aside from industry networking there is little value to this practice and no ROI. Again, find out where your customers and prospects are and follow them.

It’s also recommended to connect with some of your company’s suppliers and associates. This will help you build a more accurate online presence because it brings offline connections online. It establishes a professional network for your company, and allows your followers to see what other companies you are close to. So while following companies is good it’s better to follow potential customers, current customers and even past customers.

When users you don’t know interact with your content make sure to acknowledge them with a Thank You, and if they’re in an industry relevant to yours follow them. This is a tried and true way of expanding your network and attracting more traffic to your social profiles and website.








4. Show Personality








Link Dropping is when you include a link in your social media content without saying anything about where the link will take users. It’s about the same as copying a bunch of links to articles and pasting them all over your social networks. People don’t respond to link dropping because they don’t know where the link goes, how it relates to them and what’s in it for them. When you share a link make sure you introduce the article and let your followers know why they should click it.

When on social media it’s also recommended that your company chooses specific interests to share with your networks. These interests can be related to your company or not, but they should be something you and your team knows something about. Sharing emerging artists, trending photography and promotions for concerts, and gallery shows is a good way to say your company is interested in the arts and culture.

Some people choose to share a lot of content on concept cars, the latest gadgets and scientific breakthroughs - this could indicate that your company embraces technology. Whatever topic your company chooses it should reflect the persona of your brand and team members. This will help followers connect with your brand on new levels and could lead to more attention and an improved online presence.








5. Create Content








Create content for use on your website that can be used on your Social Media accounts. It’s best if you can use information valuable to your social media fans/followers so they will return to your page and potentially visit your website.

Blogs posts, photos, videos, and/or shared articles about your product, service, or industry are great ways to keep your accounts active. But it’s best if you can introduce your content in a way that your followers can make a connection. If the content doesn’t need much of an introduction, such as a photo, make sure to include a little back story on what was going on when the photo was taken or why the photo is important.








6. Interact








Don’t hesitate to like, share, +1, or retweet other people’s content that you appreciate or agree with. Paying attention to what your followers and networks are talking about is a part of market research, and it’s good to stay on top of trending topics. This could help you form ideas for your next blog post or other projects. Interacting with your network is a good way to increase engagement and will lead to more likes for your company.

When someone comments on your content, make sure to tag them in your reply so they are properly notified that you responded to them. This goes a long way to building interaction with your network because it’s a direct response to an individual and people appreciate the gesture.








7. Engage








Engage your audience, don’t sell to them. Present them with the opportunity to experience your product in the form of contests, sample giveaways and large discount opportunities. Don’t force them into a purchase to take advantage of these campaigns. Just make sure they share the opportunity with their own network (friends) to gain access to the offer. This will help your business grow its network and online presence.








8. Keep Current








Update your accounts regularly - daily is best, or just as often as you can. Even if you find yourself completely stumped about what content to post on a particular day, a simple “Good Morning!” can go a long way in developing your brand’s online persona.

Pay attention to local news, industry news, and national and international news, as these all present opportunities for sharing current stories. Staying on top of world events is a sure way to “newsjack” a story and be the first to inform your network on the event. Also, keeping on top of industry news is a good way to establish your company as an authority figure in the industry.

Also, staying on top of trending topics is a good way to develop common ground with your followers. However, exercise caution as you want to maintain a level of professionalism and branding. Some trending topics won’t be relevant to your industry or your followers, and sharing content like this may reflect poorly on your brand.








9. Schedule








You don’t have to spend time on Social Media every day to maintain your brand’s presence on a daily basis. There are fantastic free software options, such as HootSuite, that allow you to pre-schedule tweets and Facebook posts days, weeks, or months in advance.

However, solely relying on Hootsuite is not recommended as you miss out on a lot of content shared by your network, and if you never interact with your own network how will you build a trusting and loyal following? It’s best to use a mix of scheduling posts and actually visiting each social media website to interact with your network and see what they’re sharing.

Also, if there is a catastrophe or international event you’ll have to pause your prescheduled content releases or risk coming off as insensitive, callous, and uninformed.








10. Link Back to Your Website








Your website is the foundation of all your Internet marketing, and Social Media Networks are just the icing on the cake. While it is possible to make sales from Social Media accounts directly it’s usually better to bring people back to your website. There you have the opportunity to educate them, engage them, and convince them.

It’s good to ensure people have to visit your website to redeem offers, finish the article they’re reading, or to “learn more” about whatever your interesting post was about in the first place.








11. How Standard Marketing can Help








We Get To Know Your Business - First we get a good understanding of your business, your clients, your needs and goals. We’re not here to reinvent your company but to build on your strengths.

We Look At Your Entire Internet Presence - Then we look at your whole internet presence – your website, your social media, your current rankings on Google, and every link on the internet that points to your website. And we look at your competition. We look at the whole picture.

We Show You What’s Right For You - So many people make Internet Marketing complicated saying things like “You need Facebook”. We say “Maybe you do, maybe you don’t”. It’s a traffic strategy. That’s all it is, one of many. We look at all the possibilities - all the traffic strategies, all the contact information strategies, and all the closing strategies for your particular business, for your target clients, and for this particular time. And if it’s appropriate we fit Facebook into your strategy in terms of priority, and how it works with all the other parts of your strategy.

We Do The Most Effective Things First - Then we pick the Traffic, Contact Information, and Closing strategies that will make you the most money in the least amount of time, and we do those first.

604 722-9375

[email protected]

Let’s talk about how we can help your business grow.








By Anthony Baisi

Anthony Baisi manages social media & customer relations at Standard Marketing. He’s also responsible for developing clients’ content strategy and carrying out their Search Engine Optimization.

He strategizes each client’s content to address the needs of their target audience while establishing a professional and consistent persona for the brand. He’s an important part of our marketing strategy team. Written by Anthony Baisi

Follow me on Twitter@anthonybaisi






10 Commandments of Social Media

Business

Transcript of 10 Commandments of Social Media