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Stepping out of the Stone Age Back away from the rotary dial, it’s time to embrace social media once and for all Julz Darroch www.julzdarroch.co.nz Amongst us are those who have yet to fully embrace this ‘technology thingy’ – successful, smart, talented women who are hiding a secret: They don’t really ‘get’ the social media business. There are a few signs that this might be you. Do you remember when a phone had a rotary dial? Or when credit card transactions were done on a manual machine with carbon paper? It’s tempting to try and avoid entering the social media minefield; where do you start, how do you make the most of it and for many us girls over 40; what exactly is it? The first experience of social media leaves many people with the feeling that they don’t ‘get it’ – the social media universe is full of profiles and pages that have been launched with enthusiasm and left abandoned. Social media: web-based and mobile phone-based technologies, which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organisations, communities, and individuals. In a nutshell ‘social media’ is an umbrella term for all those websites (including Facebook, twitter, pinterest, Linked-in) where you have a page or profile that belongs to you, and the ability to post comments and pictures that people who access your page can see. Actively embracing the social part of social media is the key to its success as a business tool. Here are five steps you can take to harness the power of social media without breaking the bank OR staying up all night. One Decide why you are interested in using a social media profile for your business. What outcomes are you hoping to achieve? Do you aim to communicate with existing clients and customers or grow new ones? Who is your target market? Local? National? International? Each target group will need a different focus; after all there is little value in having a tribe of thousands all over the world if you are selling massage appointments in Wellington. Social media is a great way of growing awareness of your business and brand to new customers and also an easy way to keep in contact with your current customers. Two Choose your media. Facebook, twitter, pinterest … each social networking type has a different value and style. If you have the time and budget you may wish to saturate all media, however for most of us with smaller businesses we need to be selective about selecting one or two and doing them well. How will you choose which one? Ask people you know what they use and find a tech savvy teenager to show you around. Three Align all your messages. For most businesses the company website is your major Internet presence, and is still your most valuable one with all the key information about your business and a more defined brand design. Your social media presence should share the same brand values and messages. Use your social media site for more topical and fast dating news and information, and for interacting with your client base avoids having to create content for each one individually. Four Encourage ‘Sharing’. The foundation of social media is the fast transmission of images and information between people and organisations. This means you can reach more people by having regularly updated images and information that people will want to share with their contacts. Set yourself a schedule and contribute to your page on a regular basis, this may be only once a week or two or more often, as long as it’s sustainable. If you are sharing images and comments on your page make sure you go to the source and check if they align with your brand, there are some interesting people out there. Five Accept the limitations of social media. There are many cases of business success based on using social media platforms, however for the average business it is best used as a way of generating interest and increasing awareness of what you do rather than a way of generating fast income. Invest only the time you can spare, rather than pulling your efforts away from other work. Social Media Etiquette 101
Julz Darroch www.julzdarroch.co.nz |
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