Pinterest just hit 100 million users. Instagram tops 300 million. Facebook boasts over 1 billion. If you think you don’t have an audience on social media you’re wrong. If you’ve been told that social media just won’t work for you – you’ve been told a lie.
You do and you can.
Recently I gave a talk at a University of Georgia Small Business Development seminar about connecting to customers with social media. This is a frequent question that comes up when they consult with smaller businesses.
In my talk, I gave them 16 actionable ways they can connect, starting right now –
- Use Twitter Lists.
- Use Facebook Interest Lists.
- Use Mention or Google Alerts.
- Tag people and/or businesses in your social media posts.
- Start the conversation.
- Don’t fear the non-response or negative response.
- Be in it for the long-term.
- Don’t broadcast.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Support the businesses you are targeting.
- RESPOND.
- Share your warm & fuzzies.
- Make use of white papers/webinars/free resources.
- Use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search.
- Look up local events and opportunities on MeetUp.
- Advertise on Social Media.
Also included were 2 case studies – JetBlue Airways and Denny’s. View the Prezi below for the full presentation.
Hi Mandy,
Excellent advice you offered here. Your actionable items are spot on and I can say from experience that they work!!!
However, social media in my opinion ONLY connects when you know what business you’re “really” in.
What I mean by that is that we as business owners have to learn to think, feel and respond like our prospects would. That means we have to make a mindset shift away from mass marketing where we are trying to reach everyone in hopes of getting just a few.
How does that happen?
By learning:
1. What the tangible values are that our customers experience and how they feel about the experience.
2. What “specific” problems each tangible value solves.
3. Who we “specifically” solve each problem for.
4. How our products and services are part of “a” solution.
Then we begin to pull our message together to discover the business that we are “really” in instead of talking about how wonderful we are or what we sell.
Yet, that’s what most businesses are doing with their social media and as a result of the content not being relevant, inspiring, engaging or compelling it falls flat and doesn’t work.
We connect when we offer value and to me value is defined by one article, for one person, with one problem/need/desire with one solution.
It works!
Thanks so much for such a great post Mandy. I always appreciate your perspective!!!!
I hope you have an awesome second half to your week!
~ Don Purdum
Thanks Don!!