How to succeed at social media

Exper ts offer tips on strategies to stand out from the clutter

BY KRIS BEVILL

Social media has quickly become one of the most important marketing tools available, but it can also be one of the most confusing and misused marketing elements Identifying the types of content you should be using, the frequency of communication with your social followers and which social network platforms you should be using are important first steps to take, according to social media pros With the majority of the world now using social media in some way ever y day, businesses can’t afford not to use social media, but they also shouldn’t expect to gain a social presence with little effort or expertise

Digital marketing expert Jay Baer, founder of consulting and coaching firm Convince & Convert, helps companies understand social media and how to use it their advantage. He says there are three common mistakes businesses make regarding social media strategies The first is under-resourcing the effort “Social media and content marketing are not inexpensive, they’re just different expenses, ” he says. “They’re time intensive and if you can’t put meaningful time against it, you probably shouldn’t start ”

The second social media mistake Baer sees businesses make frequently is rampant self-promotion. “Social media was not intended to be the world’s shortest press release, but that’s how it’s often used and that is a fundamental mistake,” he says

Businesses also sometimes simply miss the point of social media, Baer says. “The goal is not to be good at social media. The goal is to be good at business because of social media,” he says

Baer is a keynote speaker at this month’s FargoConnect, a social media conference hosted by Flint Communications and Summit Software Group on Sept. 3 in Fargo. His main message at the conference will be to explain why businesses of all sizes can best connect with their audiences through social media by providing them with information rather than trying to dazzle them Or, as he puts it, “Stop trying to be amazing and start being useful ”

He says that because social media is a unique competition for attention among personal messages from users ’ friends and family as well as other businesses, providing users with helpful information can help a business stand out from the crowd “If you give people information and resources that they truly value, they will pay attention to you, they will remember you, they will buy from you, ” he says

Once businesses have formulated a strategy to share useful information, they must determine which social networks are the right platforms to share it on In order to do that, however, you must first locate your target audience Libby Hall, director of social media at Flint Group, says one way to find your audience is to search social media sites for your company name or an industry keyword to determine which networks they are using and what is being said about your business or industry “Where those conversations are [happening] is going to be a really good indication of where you should start spending your time and entering those conversations,” she says.

Facebook remains the top social network and both Baer and Hall suggest every business should have a presence there It is estimated that 60 percent of the U.S. population are members of Facebook. “It’s almost like the yellow pages; you almost have to be there just because of the math,” Baer says Other networks, like Pinterest and photo-sharing network Instagram, are growing in popularity, but may not be the right fit for all businesses and should be used only if it fits the strategy Pinterest is more popular with women, but with the right campaign, any business could utilize the site successfully Likewise, if your business caters to women, but you aren’t sure how to utilize Pinterest, the effort might not be worthwhile Hall says one-to-one platforms such as SnapChat are also gaining momentum as marketing tools, but should be used only if it fits the strategy, not just because they’re trending.

Baer agrees and says that the ultimate goal of any social media campaign should be to connect with the customer and alert them to the information you ’ re providing “Don’t go on a social network because you think you have to,” he says. “Go on a social network because you have something to offer ” PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag com