Is Your Social Media Content Working? 4 Questions To Ask Yourself
Posted by Jennah Mitchell on Tue, Jan 24, 2012
Social media is growing in more ways than one. With more sites than can be counted, social media has become the craze in advertising and promoting your business for free. However, the question is – is your social media content working for you?
Here are four questions you should ask yourself to find out if what you are posting is really effective at promoting you and, most importantly, your business.
#1 – Are You Posting News About Your Company?
According to www.socialmediamagic.com, you should be posting everything that is newsworthy to your social media pages. This can include anything from developing a new product to obtaining a larger facility for your growing business.
Your followers, who are most likely your customers, want to know what is going on with your company, preferably the minute it happens.
#2 – Are You Stimulating Conversation About Your Company?
While your personal views can add content to your social media posts, their effectiveness can depend on how you create them. You are most likely highly knowledgeable about the industry you work in, which can allow you to connect with others in the same field. However, you also need to ask questions and write blogs that will get people talking about your company.
According to www.bandwithonline.org, there are different options for using each type of social media and how it can be effective for you. For example, LinkedIn, which is known as the “professional networking site” can be a very useful tool for getting conversations started about your company.
LinkedIn has a questions and answers section where you can read what others are saying and post your comments, using the knowledge you have about your industry.
Not only are you putting yourself out there by answering their questions and maybe even asking your own to get conversations started, you will become someone they trust, and in turn they will trust your company and your products. But remember, keep your answers professional and provide resources and links for them to get more information.
#3 – Is Your Social Media Content Full Of Fluff Or Important Information?
While it can be fun and entertaining to add a quote of the day to your social media page, it would make more sense to post short blogs about what your company is doing and what it can do for their customers. This is similar to posting news that is going on with your company, but a little more customer-based.
In fact, www.copyblogger.com recommends that although you should be personable, it's more appropriate to be professional. You should be using your content to inform your customers about something, not just chatting back and forth waiting for a sale. You should spend more time focusing on what your customers need, what their opinions are and helping them to solve problems they have concerning your company and industry.
#4 – Are You Managing Your Social Media Time Wisely?
Yes, social media content can effectively promote your business, but if the majority of your customers are on a different social media page, you need to add that one in and expand.
However, you should not be spending all of your time on social media – remember, you have a business to run. Pick one social media page where you find the most effective traffic from your customers and stick with it.
While you can keep all your pages updated, it's most important to choose a “primary platform” where you spend most of your time. Set aside a specific amount of time that you spend on social media content. For example, ten minutes a day should allow you to answer all the questions you need, or post news about your company.
If possible, it's even recommended that you have someone you trust, with the same level of expertise as you, handle your social media content for you. This does not have to happen all the time, but it will add some variety to your posts and allow others to speak about your company from an inside perspective.