Think you’re wasting your time with social media? Think again…
A few weeks ago I delivered a workshop to a group of small business owners on how to build brand awareness, online.
After showing them some of the social media tools they could use to build their followers as well as a few ideas to develop relevant, interesting content, quite a number of them looked at me rather horrified, saying:
“You mean we actually have to do work? We haven’t got the time to do what we have to in our business already, why on earth would we bother with social media if it means more work for us?”
I was speechless.
How could I respond to that comment in a diplomatic manner, when all I really wanted to say was: “If you don’t see how building relationships and your reputation as a specialist in your field is important for the growth of your business, and all you want to do is to blast out promotions, then don’t bother. You’ll find yourself unfriended and even worse – banned.”
Thankfully I didn’t have to say anything as a few of the other participants stepped in quickly and confirmed that while it did involve some commitment on their behalf, they could definitely see the benefits.
Marketing and networking (both online and offline) to build relationships so that people can get to know, like and trust you– is paramount. And, while you’re sharing helpful information with your readers, you’re also building value and your level of credibility in their minds.
If your intention is similar to many of the workshop participants (who planned on using social media to constantly blast out information about their workshops, products and programs) be warned, this will seriously damage your reputation and relationships. Don’t do it.
What you should be doing instead is to put aside some time in your day to create compelling, interesting content that is going to get your name out in front of your ideal client. This will help you build your credibility, visibility and hireability which when done well and consistently, will drive up your profitability.
Here are a few things you can do each day that will only take you a short amount of time – ten minutes at the most:
- Write an interesting, relevant tweet that adds value to your reader
- Retweet someone else’s relevant and interesting tweet with your followers
- Write a tweet and link back to an article that you have written previously
- Share an inspiring photo with your friends on Facebook
- Write an interesting, relevant post and share it on Facebook
- Ask a really great question that requires a one-word response and share on Facebook
- Search through Facebook feed and reach out to some of your friends by liking and leaving a few comments on one of their posts
- Use your iPhone to take a before and after photo and share it with your friends. A great way to showcase your expertise
- Attending an event as a speaker. Write a short post and share it with people to build credibility
- Just been interviewed by the media? Write about it and share it with your friends to increase your celebrity.
- Able to get a recording of the interview? Upload it to your blog, add a few photos and a few paragraphs and share it with your readers. Remember also to Tweet and post a link on Facebook so your friends and followers can also listen to the recording
- Download Audioboo.fm app onto your iPhone and commit to recording 1 helpful tip every week. Don’t worry about having to post and share it – Audioboo takes care of that for you automatically. All you need to do is put aside the time to create the audio.
These are just a few things that I could think of. I could write more, however these 12 things are enough to get you started.
Put aside time to do at least one or two of these things everyday. Marketing and networking to build relationships should be something you commit to each and every day in your business.
You’re not ‘spending’ your time but rather ‘investing’ your time by doing these activities. And the rewards? Well, the rewards can be amazing.
Trust me.
YOUR SAY:
So have I inspired you to take action? Maybe you can add some more great ideas that people can do that won’t take up much time. Please share them. It’s always great to hear from you!
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I couldn’t agree more with you. Making good use out of social media takes time, but if you just take some time every day (and make it a habit to) blog, tweet, post on Facebook, etc., etc., it will no longer seem tedious or a waste of time.
Absolutely Linda. Making it a habit and taking the time to create a plan, and then taking actions each and every day will pay off for sure.
Annemarie,
I think what you’re saying is “stay involved” on a personal level often? I try, but I’ve cut some of my FB friends down to “important only status” b/c all they ever put up is pics.
It’s OK once in awhile, but 10-15 in a row???
Sara, I can see where that would be a little annoying. For me, many of the relationships I have on Facebook are with colleagues and business associates and it’s important for me to stay focused on what it is that I am working towards. This also means not to get caught up in things as you have put it ‘stay involved’ too much, as this can turn into unproductive time. I have set a timer, 10 minutes in and then once the alarm goes off – I’m back into my work. Some people may say that sounds a little cold, however if I’m not careful I can be ‘chatting’ for an hour or more and then realise I haven’t even started on my to-do list for the day.
Social media marketing is the best way to brand you and your company. It gives you the opportunity to tell your story to your target audience. It gets your face, logo and overall presentation across to the millions of people that are logging into Facebook and Twitter every day for information. When this type of audience is out there and begging for data, it cannot be ignored.
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Hi Monica, I certainly agree with you. To think of all the potential opportunities to build brand awareness and relationships with prospective clients, referral partners and JV partners that businesses are missing out on by NOT being active on any one of these platforms, is mind blowing. Their loss.
I also agree with you Monica. Social Media is indeed the best tool, or one of the best tools that we could use to prove to everyone that your brand is real and is reliable and it’s one way of reaching out to people worldwide!
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With social media being a prominent mode to gain popularity, companies streamline their efforts to build an entire presence through twitter, facebook & other popular social media outlets.
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Social Media marketing is one of the best ways to promote websites and businesses but as you said, it takes time.
I usually use free time to create small tit bits for Twitter feed and FaceBook. Apart from that, I don’t do anything.
And as you said, the rewards can be amazing for the investment of time. You did inspire me to take action and promote my blog more.
Thanks for the nice post, retweeted.
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Hi Ishan, I’m so glad the post made you feel inspired to take action and promote your blog more. Using your free time to create tit bits for your Twitter and Facebook followers is a fantastic idea. The rewards you will generate will be amazing!
Thanks for retweeting the post – much appreciated!
i don’t think it is a waste of time. really something that should be put forward to discuss about. we have been experimenting with the very old techniques of marketing in this 21st century where it hardly yield results. so it is high time to switch to online marketing.
I agree. As with many things in life, social media will only give you as much as you put in. When it comes to dividing your focus amongst social media networks, you would do well to consider how your resources are best allocated.
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Thanks Johnny, it certainly will!
Once upon a time I remember that it was the cutting edge to have a website for your business. Now, you can have the most impressive website of all time but unless you’re utilzing Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram all at once, you’re behind the pack.
Even writing the list of names was exhausting – I hate to think how people manage to keep up. Like anything, I suppose, it’s just as you stated Annemarie, once you get into a routine it becomes a lot easier to manage.
Tweet, Like, Pin, Follow, Share. Repeat.
Social Media is undoubtably one of the most powerful promotional tools around at the moment. Search Engines place a giant amount of emphasis on things like Pinterest and Google + so there really is no excuse for not having at least some sort of social media implemented into your business, no matter how big or small it is.