Being on Social Media Means Being ‘All In’

By: Kristen Paquet, Sr. Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

 

Are you ‘all in’ when it comes to social media? If you want a true online presence, you better be. It’s not enough to just have a Facebook (or other social network) account anymore. You have to figure out ways to leverage the use of social media to not only grow your online community, but to turn that growth into new business, new connections, new sales.

Social media is no longer independent of your other marketing efforts like your website, advertising campaign or PR strategy. You need to start thinking how all of these communication ‘branches’ can be intertwined with each other for maximum reach.

Everything needs to be intentional. Perhaps your reasoning for having an online presence is to steer people to your website. Not only do you need to generate content that will entice people to click on a link, you need to be certain your site is mobile friendly, is easily searchable by search engines (SEO) and that any link you post takes a person to the exact page you intended. See what I mean? It’s not enough to post quality content – users want more.

Here are a few other ideas for taking things a bit further:

• Add Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn icons to pages of your website to make it easier for visitors to share and like your information.
• Start a blog and post regularly. Cross-promote on your social networks.
• Be sure to include hashtags, add places and tag people in your posts (assuming you have permission).
• A good reminder: include your social media contact information on your email signature, business cards and all promotional materials you hand out.

So by now you’re thinking: “Who has the time for all that?” Well, if you want results that go beyond how many likes or followers you have, then you’ll have to put the work in to get it. Just like an effective PR strategy or ad campaign, it takes time to build your message and audience. Social media is no different. Be patient, be consistent and put the work in and you’ll end up seeing the results you are seeking.