Two Essential Social Media Marketing Practices

If you are overwhelmed with social media and simply want to settle in on a strategy for achieving practical results, this two-point plan is for you.

The Evolution of Content Marketing

Before social media we were all concerned with our Google search rankings; and we still should be. Google's objective is to bring relevant content to those conducting an Internet search. This usually means timely content that is aligned with the keywords of their search, and hopefully is from an influential source.

If you are creating relevant content on a regular, and hopefully frequent basis for your target audience – your community of prospects and customers, then you are on the right track.  Bill Gates famously stated in 1996 that content is king. 

This statement was 100% correct at the time. However, thanks to social media, context is now king. Social sites such as Facebook enhance content by color it with contextual and relational data.  This is creating a Web that is more open, more personal, and more intelligent.

Your job is to continue to create content as you have been, while also using the social networks to share it so that you are also building your social graph on the respective social networking sites. This sharing with friends personalizes your online presence, which creates an accurate description of who you are and how you can help that community.

No. 1 – Create Content

Content will always be king, even on the contextual social Web. It is arguable that social search will surpass Google's content oriented search engine.  Nevertheless, creating content for Google and sharing it on sites such as Facebook work to establish your expertise and credibility on the two most relevant continents on the Internet – Google and Facebook.

No. 2 – Personalize Your Content

Content will also be relevant on Facebook, but only when it is personalized to encourage conversation. I'm not only a professional speaker, but a content speaker too.  If I deliver highly relevant content to my audience I have served up what they need, but unless I make it interesting, that content will not be readily consumed.

And so it is the same with your social media marketing.

You need to find ways to personalize what you share to make it engaging.  Content without personalization is like music in one key – it's boring. Ask questions, shake things up, and otherwise encourage interaction.

I'll be honest, this isn't easy. I know it isn't for me.  It takes work, but that effort yields dividends for your small business.

My Suggested Model

I like to create content here on my blog.  This is my social media hub.  It's where I have the freedom to experiment and make changes until I get it right.  Then I can move that content to the social networks, to my presentations, or wherever.

When you maintain a blog that is mapped or linked to a unique url that you own – you have flexibility and control over your content.  What you distribute on the social networks then serves to to align you and your company with your ideal prospects and customers.

Just don't forget that you have no control over Google or Facebook – especially Facebook, which is known to introduce sweeping changes about every 2-3 months.

No worries though – use your blog to create and manage your content that you personalize on Facebook, Twitter, and a number of other social networks and you will be on the leading edge.

Why?  Because approximately 20-30% of all small businesses are using social media.  Yet, less than 10% of them are actively blogging.  So, if you invest the time to establish a blog that helps your community, you will be in an elite go-to group of 1-3% in your area of expertise.

From there, you only need to do what you've always done to translate leads into customers.

What do you think?  Are you ready to blog?  Here's how to get started. 

And here's how to make your blog posts outstanding. 

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Until tomorrow,  Jeff

Photo Credit: JanahPhotography