As you begin your new career as a social media manager/coordinator/specialist it may all seem a bit overwhelming. Develop a healthy and effective social media marketing mindset before you start to increase your chance of success and reduce the learning curve.
19 Tips to Develop a Healthy and Effective Social Media Marketing Mindset
- Social media marketing is a never-ending journey. Your social media marketing plan will always be evolving with no end in sight and you may never reach a point where you can stop and expect the results to continue.
- Social media may never be defined. Just as the internet and how it relates to business continues to evolve, social media will continuously be changing. What worked today may not be applicable tomorrow.
- Thinking is not optional, it’s required. You will need a plan for how to use the platforms and you will need to stick to it. Social media marketing isn’t something you can just wing.
- Social media is not just for promotion. Don’t think in terms of sales pitches and returns on investment. Think in terms of community and opportunities for building trusting relationships.
- Solid relationships will help you withstand the evolution of online technology and social media. No one knows what will happen in the world of internet and social media. In 5 years Facebook may not be the platform that everyone flocks to, but your solid relationships will help you to weather whatever storm is on the horizon.
- Know your audience and community. The more familiarity you have, the better you’ll be able to relate to and interact with them.
- Social media is truly about the people. Focus on the value you can offer your clients, colleagues, partners and prospective clients. The more value and information you can give them, the more likely they’ll be to entrust you with their business.
- Out with the old. The old visages of marketing may not be applicable in the new online world. Your strategies and methods will need to be evaluated and adjusted accordingly.
- Perfection is not realistic. If you wait until you’ve created the perfect tweet, status update or picture, the world will pass you by. As long as the content is professional, positive and aligned with your business model, post it.
- Social media marketing doesn’t offer the same return on investment as traditional marketing, and it’s not measured as easily.
- Focus. Just because your competitor has 5 different social media accounts doesn’t mean you need to as well. Quality is always better than quantity and it’s much better to do 3 accounts to perfection than 5 accounts in a frenzy.
- Although we seem to live in an instantaneous world, your results from social media marketing will not come as promptly. Set realistic goals and objectives, and revisit them monthly.
- You don’t need to tweet or update your status with everything you do. In fact, please don’t. The surest way to lose people online is to fill their newsfeed with irrelevant information. Keep it informational, relevant and positive.
- Don’t get caught up in the trends. Just because something is new and all the rage doesn’t mean it will work for you and suit your social media marketing objectives.
- Plan before taking the plunge. Develop and create an online and social media marketing plan before opening your first account. This will ensure that your time is used effectively and efficiently, and your business is shown in the best light.
- Be realistic. Setting up a Twitter account will not save your business. It will help to build brand awareness and a sense of community with your clientele but it should not be all your business is riding on.
- Random Acts of Marketing bring random and not always positive results. Social media marketing is not a one-time event, it requires time and dedication.
- Just because you’re still using the yellow pages doesn’t mean you can’t learn new technology. Don’t become intimidated by the internet and all the opportunities it offers. Get help learning by finding others that are in the same boat as you. If you have someone to share the experience with, it’ll make it more fun and less scary. The more you learn, the further you can move forward.
- Enjoy it! Interacting on social media shouldn’t be a chore, it should be enjoyable. If the mere thought of sending tweets and uploading photos makes you break out in a cold sweat, maybe you should get one of your more enthusiastic staff to take over the role.