Mediaboss Marketing

Other than a few irresistible, late-breaking techno-tools/toys I really dont need, all I want for Christmas is for you to allow social media to work for your small business in the coming year. Heres a checklist:

Start with a strategy for social media marketing, based on your companys goals. Build awareness in the marketplace? Introduce a new product service? Garner market share in a particular demographic area? If you dont yet have a strategy and dont know where to begin, hire an outside consultant to advise you. For optimum buy-in of your plan across all departments, stage a strategic planning meeting dedicated solely to social marketing strategizing. Include all your companys thought leaders and decision-makers (even if thats only you, your spouse, and your delivery person).

Be sure all your social media messages are using your company website as the hub or nerve center. Everything should tie back into your website, a subsite off your website, or a visually appealing landing page that will close the sale (or complete the offer).

Give stuff away. Be generous with content that includes little-known insider tips (i.e. how to do something quicker, cheaper, more efficiently). Free books. Free giveaways imprinted with your companys logo. Free ANYthing to build your companys credibility and goodness in the eyes of your customers and potentials. Giving things away will be an investment you wont regret. Plus, it will give you a one-up on your more penurious competitors.

Start a blog. Once and for all, this is the year to stop talking about blogging and do it. It only takes time and a good sense of understanding what people like to read and follow on blogs. Make your posts short and meaty. Create compelling headlines for your posts and use graphics with every single one. If no one in your company feels confident enough to blog, consider hiring someone who knows about your business or industry and company culture or who is willing to learn about it. Remember a blog is a powerful communication tool that is free to all. End all your posts with a question for your readers -- their opinions, their personal stories that relate to your posts, etc. Encourage engagement and interaction with your subscribers.

Reply in some way to every comment (good or bad), tweet, blog post reply, question or shared item you receive from readers on your companys social pages. This is essential for social media marketing to be effective. If it looks like no one is minding the store, it reflects badly on the way you do business online or off. Commit to monitoring your social sites continually, and post at least three or four times a week. Vary the content (information, tasteful humor, industry musings, late-breaking news) to infuse some warmth, personality, and authority into your communication.

The 80/20 content rule is most important: Your social media marketing posts should be 80 percent colloquial communication and 20 percent sales and promotion. Potential customers are looking for a reason to buy from you or to use your services, and the way to get them thinking nice things about your business is to cultivate the online relationship. Befriend and listen to them online. Anything more than 20 percent will make your posts seem self-serving and opportunistic.

Paige Henson is a new media consultant for small businesses. She specializes in inbound marketing and content management. Her e-mail address is paigechenson@gmail.com.

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New Media Matters: Let social media work for your small business