Off the Top: 4 Steps for Social Media Thinking!

Originally posted on CanuckSEO.com

 

Right off the top of my head today, I am thinking about the four steps that anyone or any company must think about BEFORE attempting a Social Media campaign.

Four steps.

Four important steps to ponder on before you invest the time and effort into any marketing campaign using social media. And the “why” am I doing this is because I was just interviewed by a freelancer on this topic and yup, it got me thinking on same, eh!

Drill Down for an Audience:
Yes, that’s right…our first step is finding out who you want to talk to when it comes to all of the various social media venues out there. If your customers hang out on YouTube – then so should you. Or if they congregate in a LinkedIN group then that’s where you should be. Disregard totally the list of the “top ten” social media channels….you should care less. What you need to do is to find where you should be working….not where everyone else is.

Develop a Profile:
This one is again, pretty easy….you need to decide whom will be the “voice” of the firm to speak to those prospective customers. Mary over in Accounting is most likely NOT the best candidate….i.e. this is a task that you do NOT want to just add to someone ad hoc; you need to think about whom can and will speak for the firm and in the best of all possible lights. Not an add-on task to someone who is less passionate about the firm than you are – or the boss is either. Create that Profile using the best possible contributor in the company or hire it out….but do remember that you need to always present the best of your firm to the social media world…and that takes passion!

Build Your Reputation:
Time to go to work and by that I mean do NOT sell anything. Never. Ever. Instead learn to be the LinkedIN group person whom others can ask for counsel or the YouTube Channel subsciber that can offer up help via your growing Authority & Trust as you just tell what you know with NO sales pitch. Ever. Do NOT become that “easy-to-suss” out salesguy in the plaid suit that pushes/prods every single comment or post with a BUY HERE type of slant and signature. Instead, just offer up help and slowly (yes it takes time) build that online reputation of simply being knowledgeable about your industry. Listen to this again. Build your onine reputation NOT your online pushy sales pitch. People can tell….and that means they’ll add your name to their own “bozoFilter” and that’s not a good thing, ever!

Engage your Audience:
Last of my four steps is to engage. See someone that needs help or a second opinion? Then offer it. See someone who needs an URL to a piece you read just yesterday about the issue that they face? Then offer it. Read about a slant on biz that you know about too? Then say so….again as it step 3, remember to NOT sell squat….just offer up your own counsel.

And these four work. It’s that simple really….