On Tuesday 24th February, I was thrilled to speak at a Women’s Networking event to over 40 women in the Business in Heels Inner West Sydney group. I am pleased to share with you also, my 3 Secrets to Social Media Success.

 

People find it surprising when I tell them I started out as an accountant, I don’t really have the A Typical accounting personality.

After spending 2 years in Accounting Cadetship program I found I was running every club and organising every event and realised my passion was in Marketing.

Since then I have worked for great brands like Revlon, Bonds, Berlei, Elizabeth Arden and Holden.

Over 4 years later Wise Up Marketing now services over 20 clients a month and we have 2 part time Marketing Coordinators.

I am here today to share with you my 3 Secrets to Social Media Success

1. You Don’t Have To Do it All

When this all began 5 years ago, it was all about Facebook and Twitter. We welcomed the introduction of Pinterest and Instagram as some variety. Then Google+ and LinkedIn came along, and we appreciated their business sensibilities. But all of a sudden our to do list was very full!

My secret insight. Do a few and do them well. Don’t spread yourself to thin.

So where should you spend your time?

Facebook – great for most businesses. Facebook has the highest usage rate of all social media, so there is a strong chance your target market is on here. Don’t be put off by the articles and decline in reach. If you have a strong plan and are willing to supplement with some advertising, you can get a strong result.

Twitter – great for writers, bloggers and opinion leaders. Twitter is a great place to push out your message and to source content.

Instagram – great for visual and emotive businesses. A great way to showcase product, to engage with inspiring quotes, share behind the scenes snippets and a great place for video. Promotions with repost and tag work great on Instagram.

Pinterest – great for demonstrating what your business stands for, or how your product or service can integrate with your target markets needs. Creating themed boards conveys your sense of style and can help your target market gain a greater insight into who you are. Great for stylist, photographers, travel planners.

Google+ – great for getting people together. Google+ is a great tool for collaboration and creating webinar / hangouts. Also a place for bloggers / writers to showcase.

LinkedIn – essential for carving out your position of authority. LinkedIn is becoming the open background check. A great place to demonstrate your professional credentials and also highlight your specialities. LinkedIn works well for all professional services businesses, medical professionals, coaches/counsellors and many more.

2. Plan Ahead and Schedule It In

Theres that saying if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I am sure you’ve liked it in on someones social media page at some point. But when it comes to your Social Media efforts, it really rings true.

My secret insight – prepare a month in advance.

I know that sounds daunting. But in fact once you get in the swing of it, it is actually easier to sit down for 2 hours and plan out a months worth of posts, than to panic every couple of days and think I must put something on Facebook and willy nilly post.

I recommend a structure. Divvy your month up into topics, either on weekly or fortnightly basis. Think about when your target is at their most engaged and most disengaged and complement this with your content. For example if you are a Real Estate Agent by Thursday your target will be planning their open house viewings, so promote your best houses, or share an article on bidding strategies at Auction.

Once you know your topics there is a little work required to source great content. Look at articles in the newspaper, blogs, online magazines. Create images using Canva that highlight your services, or facts about your industry. Source appropriate humour and inspiring quotes using Pinterest or Google images. Look at what others do, and see how you can do it better.

When it comes to scheduling –

Facebook – A fantastic scheduling ability built in

Twitter – HootSuite works well, or Buffer.

Pinterest –viraltag.com

Instagram – latergram.me (free) schedugr.am (paid)

Google+ – HootSuite works well, or Buffer.

LinkedIn – socialoomph.com

You need to take time out of working in your business, to give time to working on your business.

When your social media is planned and scheduled in, you can then add value by sharing at the minute relevant finds that complement the plans you have in place.

3. Remember Why You’re There

Social Media has become an everyday part of your lives. I like to think of it as every individuals hand curated newspaper where they access the content they are most interested in. As a business you want to be seen as part of that “must tune into” content, but ultimately you want to connect, start a conversation and convert.

My secret insight – Remember why you’re there.

At the end of the day, you are a business. You need to play the game well on Social Media to increase engagement and be accepted into your targets newsfeed. But you are a business. Your objective is to increase awareness, educate about your offer and create a platform for conversion.

By this I don’t mean a hard sell. I simply remembering once a week to include a solution you offer, a product you sell or a service you provide. When you remember why you’re there, your target confirms why they followed you, and over time this can lead to sales conversion.

So what are your secrets for success on Social Media?

Mary-Anne