How to Be Effective With Social Media

Hi. Thanks for taking the time to read this lens.

Let me introduce myself - I am a copywriter and a social media user.

The advent of social media networking has opened up a whole new world of communication. Now there are numerous ways you can make new contacts, find new customers and meet new people to interact with. People and other businesses have never been so accessible. But you have to be part of it if you want to benefit from it.

But social media does come with a warning. It's not all about marketing.

Many businesses can't resist the urge to use applications such as Twitter and Facebook as megaphones for their products and services. But their constant spamming of the social media air waves will lose them followers and potential customers.

Why?

Because it looks spammy.

It is true to see social media is a marketing tool. Through it you can:

- Encourage newsletter sign ups
- Promote eBooks and give-aways
- Promote offers and use a call to action to send them to your website
- Give information that points to particular products

But if that's all you use it for you're going to get peoples' backs up and they'll stop listening to you.

To be effective in social media you have to connect with others:

- Listen to what they're talking about
- Find out what they're saying about you (great for customer research)
- Engage with followers to find out what they are looking for
- Build relationships with people you wouldn't normally come across
- Give advice and ask for help
- Share information given by others

Social media is about marketing, connecting and reciprocity. Be generous with your knowledge and information will help you build relationships and gain trust - that's how you will get the most out of social media.

Everyone is using social media today (or at least they should be) especially business owners. If you're not you're missing out on a valuable resource for your marketing.

Many believe it's there as a channel for self promotion - a bit like an unpaid ad slot. It's not. If you do use it that way you'll be very unpopular because you'll be seen as a spammer.

Once upon a time the only way you interacted with your customers was by letter, telephone or through face to face contact. If they were unhappy with something they might come to you to complain or, more likely, go off and moan about you to anyone who'd listen and you'd be non the wiser.

But today they won't just talk to their close friends, they'll broadcast their views across the social media channels which could d untold damage to your business and your reputation.

Using social media to your advantage

People love to talk and by monitoring social media channels you can learn a lot about their habits, needs and preferences.

1. Sales

We all know the ideal time to sell is when someone's ready to buy. But hitting that perfect time isn't easy. For example if you were an electrical retailer wanting to push a new DVD recorder monitoring social media channels will help you identify people who are asking advice about which DVD recorder to buy.

Making contact, offering advice etc., puts you in the right place at the right time.

2. Marketing

Making sure your marketing messages match the needs of your customers is vital. Social media lets you listen to them to find out what they really want. You can make sure you're answering their questions and speaking the same language as them.

Your customers want straight talking advice not trumped up industry jargon.

3. Customer service

We've already discussed how powerful social media can be for disgruntled customers. But by monitoring your brand will give you the heads up when something goes wrong, enabling you to get in touch straight away and sort the problem out.

This rapid response shows you as a company that cares about its customers turning a bad situation to your advantage.

4. Development

Your R&D isn't any good without the interaction of your customers. They are the ones who will be doing the buying so why not give them what they want. Social media channels will let you eaves drop on their conversations about what they would really like your products to do. You can even ask them directly to do a bit of customer research.

5. Human resources

With most social networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn) users create profiles showing their skills and experience. You can search for specific talent that your company needs so headhunting has never been easier.

Social media really can help every aspect of your business because they are a direct link to your customers. Use them, reap the benefits and enjoy a more prosperous future.

Join in the conversation.