As promised, we’ve returned with the remaining four tips for your social media strategy. We borrowed these tips from the Social Media Examiner as we respect experts in our field. Plus, these tips jive with the research we do on our end, supporting the key initiatives in any social media campaign. If you want to see measurable success, these tips can help you along the way.

In our previous post, we examined the importance of defining your goals, doing your research and developing your connections. Once you’ve completed these steps, it’s time to dig a little deeper:

Get Into the Conversation –

Social media as a marketing tool differs greatly from the traditional approach in that you no longer want to blast your message; you want to engage the audience. To engage requires that both parties take action. In this case, you want to engage the audience in a conversation. Post comments on blogs and forums, answer questions on Yahoo! and LinkedIn, join groups that relate to your industry and join in on Twitter chats. If you’re not in the conversation, you might as well stay out of the game.

Build the Relationships –

If your business sells a product or service, you know that people buy from people. These same people want to engage with other people. You have to build relationships if you want to move a prospect to a customer. Don’t hide behind an avatar or false profile. You have to be willing to put yourself out there or your ideas, comments and suggestions will be easily ignored.

Remember – it’s assumed that the proliferation of social media has removed the importance of face-to-face interactions. The opposite is actually true – social media makes you more accessible, so build this concept into your social media strategy.

Measure Your Results –

You’re ultimately engaging in social media to connect with more customers and eventually generate more revenue for your business. If you’re not measuring the results of your efforts, how will you know if you made a smart investment? Keep in mind that you are measuring your Return on Investment and Return on Influence – both designated with ROI. Here are common elements to consider in your measurement activities:

• Improving your brand presence across all social channels
• Increasing positive sentiment within the industry regarding your brand
• Relationship development for future opportunities
• Increased traffic to your website

Analyze and Improve –

Don’t simply measure for the sake of measurement. You need to analyze the results, identify weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats and then make changes to accommodate your findings. In doing so, you can set your sites on constant improvement.

Are you ready to launch into the world of social media, but still struggle on knowing where to start? Contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions and we’ll help you develop the right approach to your social marketing strategy that will generate results.