The art of social media
Strategies for expert users
Description
Social media stands as a pivotal platform for business promotion, product sales, job acquisition, and broad communication across various sectors. Its influence on marketing success or failure is undeniable. To maximize marketing investments, becoming a social media "power user" is essential, achievable through dedicated time and effort, not just financial expenditure.
The process involves three key steps. We offer our advice in the hope it benefits you, but we also encourage you to refine these methods and share your improvements with us. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge to excel in social media's art and science, empowering you to make a significant impact.
Table of contents
01Establishing your social media base
To effectively leverage social media for your advantage when the need arises, it's imperative to lay down a robust groundwork. This involves ensuring that your profiles are freshly minted, bios are current, author pages are comprehensive, and so on. It's also crucial to become adept at posting engaging content and managing interactions through comments with the aid of social media tools.
There are four fundamental components that you must refine to ascend to the status of a social media influencer. Addressing each component in detail: Every social media platform offers you the chance to create a "profile" page, a space where you can introduce yourself and articulate your interests and expertise. It's essential to craft a profile that not only captures the attention of viewers but also presents you in the most favorable light possible. Here are some recommendations for enhancing your profile page:
- Choose a neutral and professional screen name that aligns with your personal or professional brand and maintain consistency across various social media platforms. - Optimize your profile to make an impact within the brief five-second window that viewers typically spend on it. Incorporate striking graphics, photographs, and succinct biographical snippets that project an image of approachability, trustworthiness, and a compelling conversational partner. - Select an avatar that focuses on your face and ensures that you are well-lit in the photograph. Stick with one image and maintain uniformity across different platforms. - Develop a succinct mantra that encapsulates your essence or mission statement. - Utilize the secondary, larger photo space provided by platforms like Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn to narrate your story through visual means. - Acquire a vanity URL to showcase your creativity and have posts associated with your name or your company's name. - Ensure that your profile is complete, demonstrating your attention to detail by filling out all relevant sections. - Maintain a professional demeanor by opting for "pages" on Facebook instead of a personal timeline. - Regularly review your page from an outsider's perspective using an "incognito window" to see your profile as others do.
Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick assert that the ultimate goal of a profile is to persuade others to engage with your social media endeavors. Essentially, it acts as a global resume for the world to scrutinize and evaluate.
02Gathering your digital resources
As the moment approaches for your project to begin, it is crucial to gather a comprehensive collection of effective digital tools. These tools can be used across various social media platforms to enhance and expand the reach of your message. This collection should include video snippets, blog entries, informative articles, notable quotes with accompanying graphics, and detailed presentations on the subject matter. Once you have assembled these tools, strategically place them on different social media sites, ensuring they are ready to be deployed at the right moments. The digital landscape offers a wide range of assets that can be used in conjunction with social media. However, there are three primary digital assets that you should prioritize and focus on accumulating:
1. Blogging and social media used to be seen as separate entities. Blogging was associated with a more serious, long-form approach, while social media was characterized by its brevity and spontaneity. Nowadays, it is recognized that blogging and social media not only coexist but also enhance each other. The challenge now is to use your blog to enrich your social media activities and vice versa. When you successfully integrate these two mediums, you create the potential for remarkable synergy.
Here are some strategies to align blogging and social media to work together:
- Embed links within your social media posts that direct your audience to exceptional content on your blog. - Include an image with each social media post that links back to your blog, adding visual appeal and excitement. - Integrate social media sharing buttons into your blog articles, making it easy for readers to share your content. - Embed links to your social media profiles on your blog, simplifying the process for readers to continue receiving valuable content from you. - Create a Pinterest post for each new blog entry, linking back to the original post and prompting readers to "Pin it for later." - Transform your most popular blog posts into presentations on SlideShare to increase exposure and awareness for your work. - Contribute guest posts to other platforms to reach new audiences and establish yourself as an expert. - Embed your social media posts directly into your blog to remind readers of the various ways they can connect with you. - Allow people to sign in to your website or service using their social media credentials, providing you with a precise list for future engagement. - Organize real-life conferences or events to meet with your followers in person, fostering and deepening relationships.
03Market entry strategy
Social media is a powerful tool for launching products and engaging with the market. With a solid foundation and digital assets, platforms like Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter can be leveraged for business success. Guy Kawasaki highlights the unique roles of each platform: Google+ connects passions, Facebook is for people, LinkedIn is for professional promotion, Pinterest showcases pictures, and Twitter shapes perception.
Google+ Hangouts on Air (HOA) is a standout feature, allowing public video broadcasts through Google+ pages and YouTube channels. To maximize HOA effectiveness, invest in quality equipment, prepare a script, create an event page, and use custom graphics. Promote your HOA with a video trailer and invite participation. HOAs can be watched without a Google+ account and can be embedded on blogs or websites, even on Facebook via services like 22Social. Preparing speakers and conducting rehearsals ensure a smooth experience, and connecting Google+ to YouTube archives the broadcast for later viewing.
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