Social media has long since arrived. Even the biggest critics have realized that things won’t go away any time soon. Social media are changing the way we communicate and form opinions.
And that is exactly what makes them so relevant for companies. Nowhere else can customers be reached and inspired as easily as online in social media. The only problem: the plan for a successful social media presence is not always easy to implement. So how can you use the many advantages for your company?
Gary Vaynerchuck, who has increased his family business’s annual profits twentyfold thanks to his YouTube channel, shares seven valuable tips for being successful on social media.
#1: Think like a media company
Because as a media company, you focus on your content informing and entertaining; in short, that they deliver added value. Inform about your products, but be more than an advertising catalogue. Much more.
Nobody wants to be overwhelmed with advertising online. Instead, ask yourself what your target group is really interested in and provide them with the right content. Do you sell makeup? Then not only present the new lipstick colour palette but also give tips and instructions.
#2: Be creative and adapt the content
Entrepreneurs have little time. The amount of quality content she can create is finite. However, if the existing content is cleverly and creatively adapted, you save a lot of time and effort: You can use several key phrases from a blog article as tweets, and a graphic with the title of the article is suitable as a post for Facebook and Pinterest.
So it is better to use your time to create a few high-quality content and to prepare them differently than to create a lot of only mediocre content.
#3: Giving is more blessed than receiving
This point gives many entrepreneurs stomach ache: they should make advance payments and make their knowledge available before their readers have even bought anything. Why should anyone buy anything from you if you share your knowledge beforehand?
Very simple: Because your customers first have to build trust in you. If you are not the only supplier of a product, your customers always have the choice between you and your competitors. In order for them to choose you, they have to trust you. And to build that trust, you have to take the first step and invest.
By showing that you have an idea of your field, you convince yourself. Anyone can say they’re a pro, but you won’t believe them until they prove it.
#4: Stay authentic
What could be more persuasive than a brilliant personality bursting with charm and wit?
The answer is an authentic personality. One of the downsides of social media is the feeling of having to compete with others. But that is poison for you and your company. On the one hand, you suffer when you constantly disguise yourself just to please others. You’ll feel increasingly isolated and never approach the clients you want to work with.
But it also harms your company if you do not appear authentically like yourself. Users have a very good sense of whether you are really yourself or wearing a mask. And how are they supposed to believe your brand promise when you’re pretending to them who you are?
So: Don’t copy others just because their appearance works for them. Be your own brand and show what makes you and your business different from others.
#5: Interact with people
Not getting a response to comments and messages demotivates your fans. Why should they also interact with you if you don’t seem to care? If you ignore them, they’ll soon stop caring about your content, or worse, tell their circle of friends that you don’t care about your customers.
Therefore, try to respond to as many comments and messages as possible.
On Facebook, this can be alike, but a reply is even better. Even a short “thank you” works.
At the beginning of your social media career, the effort will be limited. But even later, when the flood of comments overwhelms you, it’s important to react. If not for everything, then at least for as much as possible. It is best to set yourself a time frame in which you only take care of the exchange with your fans.
#6: Invest enough time – more than your competitors
Being successful on social media takes time. You can help out a little with money, for example by placing ads and getting known more quickly. But you don’t make up for a lack of content with ads.
Many entrepreneurs simply let their social media presence run on the side and take care of it whenever they have the time.
That’s fatal – unless you do it better. Because then you can overtake them all.
Consciously plan the time that you use for your social media presence. Then use them as efficiently as possible to get the most out of your performance (see tip #2).
#7: Social media is a marathon, not a sprint
To build your brand on social media, you need one thing above all else: patience, perseverance, and consistency. Don’t expect quick overnight gains or after three months.
This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff:
Those who only see social media as a tool for short-term campaigns will not build a fan base in the medium and long term. Instead, each new campaign will cost them money as it needs to be promoted.
But if you think long-term, publish good content without direct sales intentions and convince users, you create a strong fan base that is irreplaceable.
She supports you when you are criticized and recommends you to others so that you become better known. From time to time you can support your efforts with paid campaigns – but these are the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
Conclusion: Social media is worth it – if you do it right
A good social media presence can really take your company forward: you become better known, gain new customers and are recommended by them. In order for this to succeed, it is important that you do not use social media on the side.
Follow these seven tips from Gary Vaynerchuck and you’ll be on your way.
