I recently had a chance to sit down with Randi Whitley president of Socially Wired, one of the premiere social media and internet companies in the northwest, if not the country. Socially Wired is an online marketing company that works with?businesses?to provide a social media presence,?promote?their brand online, and cultivate relationships with current and new customers.? ? I wanted to dispel a few myths about social media marketing and discuss it?s conventional uses in today?s marketplace.? The interview was conducted by myself, Mike Obremski and answered by Randi, so the interview crosses between both Mike and Randi, respectively. Please feel free to leave comments or questions!
You can also visit the Socially Wired website at www.sociallywired.com and ask Randi any direct questions you might have as well.? Enjoy!
Mike: ? In your point of view, should different businesses use different forms of social media?
Randi: Social media has a varied scope of platforms to reach customers, and not all will be a perfect fit for your business. Facebook and blogs are great for those businesses that have products or a service to sell, and want to connect with their customers on a personal level. Facebook is about continuing a conversation, or building relationships outside your business walls. Bringing a piece of education to customers gives fans a sense of value to following you.
Twitter can also be a great conversation piece, where short, in the moment tweets are made about your cause, upcoming event, or daily deals.
If you have a product or business lifestyle that connects people to your brand, video and imagery platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Flicker are great places to post images and video.
The main goal of any social media platform(s) you chose is to connect your brand to current and potentially new customers. Brand awareness gives businesses the opportunity to be top of mind with their followers. Not all platforms are going to be a good fit for every business, and that is where having an online marketing strategy can help determine where your social media efforts should be.
Mike: ? What is the difference between social networking and social media?
Randi:?? Social media is the online tool used to connect with people. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are all social media tools that provide a one directional outlet for your brand information.
Social networking is about communication, relating to your fans and having a two way conversation / relationship. There is a connection made with networking and opportunities are opened up to reach more people when you network on social media.
Mike: ? How often should social media be updated?? Is it different for different forms of social media?
Randi:?? All social media platforms should be actively used and updated. If you let your pages go stagnant, your followers will direct their attention elsewhere. There is a balance here, and the other side of the coin is that if you make updates too often your followers will be overwhelmed and again direct their attention elsewhere.
It is not always the amount of posts you make, but the content you are posting. If you are engaging your fans, and they are interacting with the content you?re putting out, then it?s a safe bet you?re posting the right amount.
Mike:? ? What makes a Facebook fanpage different from a regular Facebook page?
Randi:? Facebook profiles are for people. Pages are for businesses. A profile is intended for you, the individual to connect with friends, up to 5,000 of them. As a person you can Like a business page, and receive updates from that business and connect to their brand by interacting with posts, and sharing their information.
Pages are for professional or official use, and allow an organization, business, celebrity or band to maintain a presence on Facebook. As a business with a page, you can provide information to your fans (the individuals that Like your page). A business page can also be a part of your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, because pages are indexed by search engines. Pages can have an unlimited number of fans and can create advertisements to promote their brand.
Mike:? ?? Does it make sense to pay for advertisement on social media sites?
Randi:? With 1 billion active monthly users on Facebook alone, advertisements are a great tool to expose new fans to your brand, services, upcoming event, or deals. Your online advertising budget can vary between ads, and as a business you have the option to refine the target areas your advertisements will be seen.
Mike: ?? What is success in social media?
Randi:? That is something each business needs to identify in their marketing strategy before having a presence in social media. For some it?s all about brand awareness, and cultivating relationships with X number of fans is success. For others it?s an increase in sales, donations, or attendance at events.
Mike: ?? What do you do to control online reputation in social media?
Randi:? At Socially Wired, we strive to reflect your business online. That means we learn your industry and educate your fans, followers, and customers on what you do, the service you provide and how your business can benefit others. Another important aspect of what we do is monitor conversations on your Timeline, your page, your site, etc. Any place that a comment or review can be left about your brand or business; we look into it, see what people are saying, and respond accordingly. One thing we always tell clients is that a negative comment is the perfect opportunity for a positive response.
Mike:?? What are 5 things every business could do right now in social media?
Randi:
Know Your Audience
Always always always?keep your audience in mind when you are creating content. Whether it?s posts for your blog, educational white papers, or just a 140-character tweet, you want to give your followers something that is useful to them. Don?t put out information just for the sake of putting out information. What does your audience care about? What kind of content would they find valuable?
Humanize Your Brand
Across platforms, social media allows a brand to connect with customers in a more personal way. The key is not to just advertise your business. Grow your following by sharing valuable content. Good content balance is to share education, information, inspiration, exclusives and entertainment. It?s also a good medium for storytelling. For example, rather than tweeting a photo of an ad, share a YouTube video of a real customer using the product to show how it works.
Be a Part of the Community
Be responsive to others and contribute to conversations in your community. ?Not only do you want your business to connect with customers, but with other local businesses, and organizations. If your show the real world and online community that your support the town your do business in, they are more likely to support you. It?s always a give and take.
Control the Conversation
Social networking provides businesses with a huge advantage. Instead of people talking behind your back, you can now see what they?re saying and actually chime in! Not only can you contribute to conversations about your company, but you can also start them. You have a chance to communicate with customers and get their feedback. Many people are much more outspoken on the Internet. This is your opportunity to hear from customers who may not be the type to pick up the phone. Use this feedback to improve your organization ? after all, the customer is always right!
Have a Marketing Strategy
Social networking is something we?re seeing businesses thrive in. Using multiple platforms to connect with users is particularly important, so you reach the maximum amount of people possible. Be careful not to stray from your online marketing strategy. Having a consistent brand presence in all social media platforms is very important, and your marketing strategy should always be kept in mind (or referred to regularly) when promoting your brand. If your business does not have someone in-house that can dedicate serious time to social media networking, we suggest you contact a consultant or outside professional to help with your online marketing.
Thanks to Randi Whitley of Socially Wired for taking the time to answer these questions!? Visit her website at www.sociallywired.com
Source: http://www.genesis-unlimited.com/social-media-marketing/
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