How to Leverage Your Investment in Blogs and Social Media

Back in the ‘80s, Faberge Organics was happy if you told two friends about their Wheat Germ Oil and Honey Shampoo, and they told two friends and so on and so on… The guys who created that ad would probably drop their teeth at the thought of reaching tens and dozens and hundreds of friends at a time with a short and sweet 140-character message. “Tell your friends” was the original social media network, and while the scope and range may have changed, the basics of reaching people through managed social media remains the same. If you’re using blogs, Twitter and other social media to reach your customers, clients or prospective contributors, there are a few best practices and rules of thumb that will help you spread your message wider and further than ever. Condense Your Message Before you can start broadcasting your message, you have to know what it is. Honing and condensing your message starts with defining your brand. Every blog post, every tweet and every message you send out should help define who you are in the minds of your prospective customers. Define Your Aims Know what you expect to achieve with your foray into social media. Your aims will define which applications you should use and the best ways to use them, alone and in combination with other types of media. Integrate Social Media Applications A total social media strategy should include more than one type of application. Blogs, microblogging, shared videos, and other types of social media each have strengths and weaknesses. A professional social media consultant can help you weigh those and develop a strategy that matches your aims with the best set of applications to accomplish your advertising or consciousness-raising aims. Leverage Interactive Social Media to Your Benefit Offer something of value. It’s one of the oldest rules of social networking, and it applies exponentially in social media management and marketing. The content you offer is a vital part of establishing your identity and attracting people who are not just customers but fans. Monitor Social Media It’s not enough to disseminate content through your social media network. In order to stay out in front of the message, you also need to monitor what’s being said by others in your field or among your customers. Create alerts in Google and monitor tweets and blog posts that mention your company and your products so that you know what people are saying about you and can respond to input quickly and effectively.