When it comes to social media marketing, a real success cannot be measured in shares, views or likes. And yet lots of professionals in this field feel satisfied after having attracted a number of users to engage with their content posted on social networks. In order to become a great social media marketer, you simply must realize that your goal is much more complex than getting fifty people to like your post and follow your profile. Here are six essential steps to improve your social marketing skills and make a real change in your brand-consumer interactions.
1. Keep it interesting
Posting often is a great idea, but only as long as you’ve got something really interesting or valuable to offer. Marketers often fall into the trap of posting boring things just for the sake of filling out their Facebook walls. This just shows that you don’t care about your audience and you’re not looking for establishing any meaningful connections.
Search for alternative modes of presentations, interesting perspectives and create some truly original content. This will ensure the full attention of your audience once you’re ready to get more promotional.
2. Be more relaxed
Trying hard to reach certain metrics on social media isn’t worth it. After all, your main goal is to redirect people form your social networks to the company website. Define your goals, create a plan and stick to it. Spending lots of time on social media will never pay off if your actions aren’t motivated by a larger objective.
3. Use your creativity
Just because a company’s social page is about business, it doesn’t mean that your personality cannot add value to it. Avoid posting dry and business-related content, have a bit of fun with it and show your personality. This way users will sense that there is a real person operating a company’s social media profile, adding a human face to all its activity.
4. Play with controversy
Being controversial is risky, but sometimes it’s worth all the attention you’re getting in return. Why not try to post controversial content with a twist? You can stay on the safe side by posting funny content about things that don’t really upset people. This way you’ll also avoid offending anyone, which can be disastrous for brands on social media.
5. Collaborate
Being a social media marketer might seem at times a bit solitary. Collaborating with other people can significantly help you in your daily tasks. Others can point out things you’ve ignored or simply bring out the best in you, motivating you to develop better social media strategies and improve the content of your posts.
6. Be inspired
Never cease to explore. Have a look at the profiles of the biggest media and marketing gurus – follow them and see what kind of content they post about, share, like and follow. Imitation isn’t a vice in this case – it’s the most advanced form of flattery.
A close observation of others’ social media activity will help you to reassess your own methods and implement innovative approaches you’ve noticed are successful for other brands. Read about social media marketing as much as you can. In this case, there’s never too much knowledge for you to boast.
Becoming a great social media marketer is most of the time the question of developing specific skills and attitudes that will allow you to connect with social media audiences and successfully spread the brand message across all online platforms.
Tess Pajaron is a Community Manager at Open Colleges. To read more on learning how to become a better professional, visit the Open Colleges Blog.
