Sales & Marketing Authority, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

So you’ve been working hard all year to increase your social media efforts and maintain a solid online presence for you and your company, and you’re now at a stage where you want your social media interaction to run automatically and become an on-going and long-term activity.

So, what can you do to give your social media strategy longevity in 2012? Here are a few tips to help you consolidate your social media activity for the New Year and beyond.

1. Stop saturating and build your brand

Once you have really got to grips with using social media as a business tool it is very easy to overdo your efforts and start to saturate your social media platforms with lots of content, from each department of your company, and for each separate product or service that you offer. Whilst you might think this gives you a broader reach and a better web presence, you are probably just confusing your followers by making it too overwhelming to receive all the content you are putting out there.

So instead of saturating your social media platforms, start branding all of your company’s departments and products or services under one main name. You can still keep separate accounts for marketing, management, sales etc but ensure you only have one contact from each department and include the company name in all of their usernames. This will help to consolidate and group together your team and products under your main company brand.

2. Post for the platform, not for your own benefit

Each social media platform is different. The way your followers use Facebook in comparison to the way they use Twitter is different, and the reasons some of your audience chooses to interact with you on LinkedIn rather than on Flickr will be different as well – they are looking for different content and are expecting different interaction with you depending on which platform they are using.

You probably already know how to use each of the platforms for your own benefit, but use 2012 to really tune in to what your followers want from you on each platform.  If they’re friends with you on Facebook then they probably want to see a more personal side of you, if they are following you on Twitter then they probably expect regular and consistent updates about your new content and if they have connected with you on LinkedIn they are clearly looking to engage with you in a more professional way.

Consider what each platform is used for and research the way people on the site interact and then tailor your involvement to these conforms – you’ll be amazed at the results.

3. Schedule your posting in advance

It’s always good to think about what you’re going to say before you say it, and the same rule applies with posting. Is what you’re posting really relevant? Will it be of interest to anyone? I would hope it would be otherwise why would you be producing it – but it doesn’t hurt to ask the question every now and again!

Scheduling posts in advance also stops you from overwhelming your followers with massive amounts of content, or ignoring them completely due to the fact you’ve had no time to create anything that day. If you schedule a weekly or daily plan for what you will be posting about and what content you will be distributing on which platform, you will soon find you have a nice on-going structure for each site making the whole process much more automated and easy to follow.

A great way to schedule social media sharing is to draw up an editorial planner at the start of each month, which gives you a chance to plan the bulk in advance and then add in more topical updates at times when you have less scheduled content going out. This will give your followers enough to keep them interested and ensure you don’t overwhelm them with information and scare them off.

The best advice I can give you for 2012 is to reassess where your social media campaign is at currently and where you would like it to be by this time next year – then simply put actions to your words and make it happen. Ask yourself these questions:  If you were a follower of your company on each platform, what opinion would you have of them? Are you getting what you hoped you would from engaging with them in this way? And is there more they could do to keep your attention? Then make 2012 the year you give your social media plan real depth and long term value.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert – Motivational Speaker

Twitter is a fantastic and easy way to get knowledge of your business, your brand and your content out to the masses, but so many people use the platform in the wrong way.

With only 140 characters to play with, some Twitter users tend to get carried away and try to saturate their page with second by second updates of their every movement. Others ignore the fact that the average shelf life of a tweet is no more than an hour and hardly post anything at all to keep their followers interested with. So, how do you get the balance right between just enough and too much? And more importantly, what should you be doing with Twitter to help boost your following?

Well, here are 3 big mistakes to avoid when managing a successful Twitter account.

1.       Avoid cheesy and stereotypical Auto-DMs

So someone follows you and then receives an instant Auto-DM saying “Hey, it’s great to tweet up!” – No, bad move! They have probably had the same message from nearly every single person they have followed…so what set’s yours apart from all the rest?

If the answer is nothing then you need a rethink. If you are going to use an Auto-DM, it should be original to you and should offer your new followers an extra little something as a thank you for following you. That first direct message is the first thing your new followers will see so you should make the most of that first introduction – even in the limited space. Don’t just send a generic “Thanks For Following” message, it’s unlikely to even be read.    

2.       What’s your ratio?

Twitter really is all about ratios, and your following to followers ratio is more important than you might think.  There are two ways you can get this wrong; firstly, following more people than you have following you, and secondly having loads of followers but hardly following anyone else.

With the first point it’s easy to see why having few followers isn’t a great idea, as the less followers you have the less people you are able to share your content with. However, it also doesn’t look good for any new followers who land on your page, as when you’re seen to be following loads of people it makes you look like your desperately clawing for followers – which is only made worse by the fact you have few followers in return, and it begs the question “Why aren’t people following this person?”. Not a good look.  

On the other hand, the issue with having loads of followers but hardly following anyone back means that you appear to be somewhat of a Twitter Snob; happy to share your content with all who want it but not interested in what others have to share. Again, not a good look.

The best way to keep the balance right is to regularly cull who you follow and get rid of anyone who you have followed for a while but who hasn’t followed you back. It may seem harsh but if you’re not gaining anything fantastic from them in terms of their content and they’re not following you back to receive your fantastic content then surely there is no point in keeping them on there? Having a more equal following to follower ratio will make your profile appear more neutral and follower friendly to anyone who lands on your page.

3.       What are you talking about?

As a business professional you are more likely to be Tweeting about events that are happening or sharing links to your content than Tweeting about what you had for dinner last night – but it is still so important to be clear and concise with your tweets. Using business jargon that only a select few would understand, or being very vague when tweeting  – for example, saying things like “Well that was an interesting meeting…” – will not go down well with your followers.

Although you only have 140 characters per tweet you should make the most of those if you want to get people interested in what you are distributing. Be clear, to the point and tweet something that will be well received by many rather than few.

These are  just a few ways in which you can help to keep up a successful Twitter account, by not only keeping your current followers interested but also striving to attract some new ones as well.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

(Image by Rosaura Ochoa)

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

Cross referrals between two professionals is a solid way to build a larger client base.  Often solicitors will recommend financial planners and financial planners will recommend bankers and so on.  This model for expansion works because each professional maintains their own client base, and also encourages cross referrals, which actually help improve their reputation.  For example, if one of your clients asks you to recommend a business professional, and you provide them with an excellent referral, then their trust in your ability increases.  LinkedIn is the best way to build a cross referral network online.

Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the social media site for the networking professional.  The site focuses on recruiting only professionals, and only those that are looking to build additional business connections.  On LinkedIn you build a network of different providers that you can go to for different things.  Building a broad network that can allow you to help anyone that asks for a referral can be difficult, but it is worth the challenge.

How Network Building Works

The first step to building a big network of disparate professionals is to ask everyone you know to join.  Instead of simply pulling from your email address, contact anyone with which you do business and ask them to join your group of affiliate clients.  Many will do so as long as you include a brief reminder about how or where the two of you met.  By continuing to pursue new additions to your network and asking others to mention your name, you will gradually expand your existing network.  Do not rush this process, quality connections are worth much more than quantity. Once you have an expansive network, it is time to start leveraging it to bring in more clients.

How Cross Referrals make you Money

In the business world, what goes around definitely comes back around.  Cross referrals work, because the more people you refer to others, the more likely you are to be their go to guy for your services.  For example, if you offer bookkeeping services and recommend the same firm for legal advice to everyone that asks, with the request that they mention your name, eventually, the firm will do the same for you.  After all, if you bring them a lot of business and they do not return the favour, you will simply start recommending a firm that will.  Of course, you will need to be cautious and ensure that any company you refer offers excellent service, because in a way your recommendation is then tied to your reputation.  Only refer the best, to keep people coming back for advice time after time.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

Twitter is a great social media site for cross marketing.  By itself, it is not enough to build consumer sales, but when combined with a complete marketing campaign it is a very powerful tool. Twitter offers the immediacy that many people are looking for in today’s constantly linked in society.   The short posting length and the easy access from mobile devices makes Twitter an ideal way to communicate with potential customers throughout the day.  Many business owners may be at a loss regarding what to say.  After all, how many important business facts can you provide in a single day.  Below are five things to keep in mind when composing Tweets.

1. Never go for quantity over quality.  Fewer tweets that provide quality information are much preferred over spamming your feed.  Keep your tweets on point, current and informative to gain a growing network of subscribers.
2. Tweet regularly, not constantly.  It is important to distinguish between regular and constant.  If you are constantly posting new tweets, it is highly doubtful that all of then contain unique and useful content.  Tweet at least once per day, and as often as three or four times a day, but use the minimum number of tweets to post the most current information.
3. Concise is the way to go.  Tweets are designed to me very short, 150 characters or less.  That is often only enough to write a phrase and post a link.  Write out your tweets ahead of time to ensure they will meet the character requirements, and play with the wording.  Try to say as much as you can with as few words as possible.
4. Expert and informative is the tone to take.  Provide valuable industry information to consumers, and they will be back time and again to get your take.  Demonstrate your expertise and maintain a professional tone while doing so.
5. Never fear a bit of controversy.  The really nice thing about social media is that it allows an opportunity to be social with potential customers.  Consumers would normally never have a chance to get to know you personally, rather than the corporate façade.  Allowing people to see you take a stand on issues can generate conversations that will gain you additional followers.

When you tweet, make sure to include plenty of links to other sources.  Post a link to longer articles or blog posts that you have written or a link back to your store.  Twitter can be used to successfully announce new sales or product lines, along with other industry information.  The subjects are endless, so it is usually not a problem to find quality information to post for consumers.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker