Social media is the hottest topic in the marketing world right now. You can’t just learn to use social media to promote your business like a master overnight, though. Yet, there are some things you can do that are easy and start yourself on the road to the success.

Ensure you maintain a current blog that is full of relevant information. Post all sales or promotions to the blog as they occur. Also post any other important news, such as new locations, special closing, change in hours, etc. – make sure you post these to your blog as well.

Post new blog entries at least four or five times a week. If you are having some sort of sales event, you should write about it on your blog. Your blog can also announce clearances, specials and changes in location or hours. – make sure you post these to your blog as well.

If you have a blog, use a “Retweet” button at the top of every blog post. Placing it strategically at the top of the page will make it quick and easy for viewers to share your content over Twitter. By having this option on your blog, your blog will gain a greater audience.

Include a widget for Facebook’s “Like” button on your blog at the top of every page. This lets people “like” you at Facebook. By placing this on your blog it lets your consumers “like” you without even needing to go to your page. Doing it this way helps your exposure and keeps people on your page longer.

Businesses that rely on Twitter to promote upcoming sales should make an effort to interact with customers. Thank those that mention your name, and answer any questions they may have. This creates a growing and interactive relationship rather than a simple “company to consumer” transaction. This will also help you to create a real identity, rather than just appear to be a screen name that sits behind a business.

Make certain you update your social profiles often. You may end up losing customers if you don’t update your site as often as they expect you to. Dedicate a few days out of the week for updates.

It is always best to plan a course of action when delving into the world of social media marketing. You will have to determine how you want your page set up, how often you can work on it, and who will do the work. Set up a timeline and budget for your media marketing. Stay committed to your plans, and you will be a social media marketing success.

If you are active on Twitter, consider tools such as Twellow and Tweepi. When you use these tools, you can hone in on a target audience. Twitter, like Facebook, takes care of its advertisers, so you can find a lot of help by simply using the tools the site provides. Once you’ve identified these people, you should follow them and hope that they return the favor.

Because it takes awhile to truly master the art of social media marketing, it may be necessary to start off small and slowly expand. Copy a competitor’s strategy until you can create an original plan that works for your business. Look at your competitors’ social media pages. Examine their status updates, discounts, specials and other techniques they use.

You may not be able to solve all your problems with these ideas, but they will help you as you make your way. Because social media constantly changes and evolves, you must have the ability to adapt to them. Learning how to use it effectively can make a dramatic difference in your business.

You may want to either write a blog for someone else’s site or let someone else write a guest blog on yours. You will get more visitors this way. You should ensure that your guest-blog agreement specifies that there will be a link that links to your site. Also, afford your guest bloggers a similar courtesy. You are likely to get more traffic from your guest bloggers followers.

Categories: Social Media Marketing

Tags: social media