How To Have Great Social Media Marketing

You own a small business. It is not like Converse or Chanel, which have great brand recognition. How can you compete with that kind of brand advertising with the use of social media as a platform? In fact, as a small business owner, the biggest advantage you have is that you can utilize your local presence and knowledge in a manner which they never can.

Think about it, Tesco might have a store in every town in the UK, but no matter how hard they try, they will always be seen as big national chain - which of course they are.

Below you'll find my 4 top tips (followed by my golden rule) to getting the most from social media as a small business owner...

1. Promote Local - You should as a matter of course promote your business via the big two social media platforms, which of course are Twitter and Facebook.
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   Remember to stand out from the big boys and make your messages local. For example as an estate agent, you should not only promote your services, but perhaps more importantly talk about things that are going on in your local area, such as schools, shopping, events etc.
2. Give customer value - First make sure you have clearly provided contact details for your business such as web addresses telephone numbers etc. Secondly give your potential customer an incentive to use you; for example offer discounts exclusively for Facebook fans or perhaps a special free gift for your Twitter followers.
3. Be Up To Date - Nothing will turn a potential customer off if you have haven't posted a blog or tweeted since the last time they looked. The more successful small businesses tweet or blog at least 2-3 times a week if not more. Be up to date and relevant.
4. Be Competitive - Social Media is the new big thing and it is more than likely your competitors are using it too. Make sure you are ahead of the game. Find out which competitors are using social media and what they are doing - how are they growing their following, what are they offering etc. Then do it better!!

You must remember to be persistent and patient when developing a social media presence.

Remember social media is about forging, building and enhancing relationships; it's not about selling continuously. Think of your social media strategy as if you were communicating with a friend, it's about being there, helping, listening, building a relationship - both your prospects and customers will thank you for treating them in this way.

So what do I mean by thanks?

Well it doesn't really matter...many will say nothing, some will drop you an email or perhaps a phone call...but then others will recommend you to friends or businesses and of course the chances are that these happy people will buy from you more regularly - despite the fact that you've barely been selling to them.

My Golden Rule for Social Media Success...

OK, here you have it, my golden rule for a highly rewarding social media strategy in your business is this...

80% of your social media messages should be help, advice, information and tips. The other 20% should be sales oriented, such as coupons, promotions and special events.

By following this golden rule and my top 4 tips in your business, you'll almost certainly have a social media strategy that will knock the socks off of both your competitors and those big corporate boys!