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Social media is no more a buzz word. It’s just business as usual for most companies especially those who have embraced social media. But in all this social media world people have gotten into the rat race of competition for fans, followers. Most companies judge their return on Investment based on the huge number of followers or fans. Let me get this straight to you. This is absolutely not the way to go about social media. Innovation and being natural is the key to success just like how we differentiate our own individual personality in our daily lives.

Here are a few tips that i have read that make sense. As and when i come across ways that can benefit you i shall expand this post.

• The first rule that i beg you to do is listen. There are various automated tools that you can find which monitor conversations about you and your competition, so before rushing to grab a huge fan base first check and see if anyone is talking about you. Now if people are not conversing about you, don’t feel depressed this is an opportunity to make that great appearance, you have a chance to be a role model to people who want to connect with you.

The best way to attract the right audience to your brand or service or products is to write amazing content that will benefit your readers not you.

So say for example

If you are into the business of printing T shirt , write content  around the latest fashion trends.

• You could talk about how a celebrity that looks wow especially with the clothing that she wears in the music video. Blend your t shirt printing service in the background.
• You could talk about the benefits of wearing something creative and how printing your personality could make you stand out.
• You could talk about how to use smart casuals with a business attire and yet get away from the traditional shirt, tie saga
• You could have a poll asking your fans which celebrity looks way cool when they wear a specific T-shirt
• Etc

If you are in the Courier Business for example:

• Social media is not to gain sales but to build awareness especially when you are in this industry. Let your employees use social media at work, this not only helps drive profitability but also helps drive customer service. Imagine if one of their friends is talking about a bad experience with one of their courier deliveries, whatdo you think your staff would say to their friend? Of course they would recommend the company they work with.
• 10 years ago Internet was a luxury and only a few hand picked employees could use the internet, now everyone has access to the internet. The same with social media.
• Why not allow your fans to track their parcels directly through their social media sites.

Write content that will help people connect with you. This could be anyway from:

• Great gift wrapping ideas for Christmas and a blurb about why send the gift via your courier company.
• Talk about the importance of urgent documents being delivered in a safe and secure manner e.g. your passport. How you can help in making a difference
• Talk about company bank deposits and how streamlined your business can make this for a customer by showing them tangible value of saving money in the long run.
• Talk about the hiring process used at your courier company and what tips you have for other businesses looking at hiring employees within that department, e.g. sales, IT, etc
• Speak about your courier Drivers and the impact they have on your business. Have them talk about their experiences
• Give updates on road blocks and traffic delays should you have this technology currently that you use for your courier deliveries
• Talk about how normal individuals can work for themselves by being in the courier business and the advantages of joining you
• Talk about a staff that went above and beyond the call of duty for a customer
• Constantly have testimonials of other companies who may be using your service and why they stick with you

The next few tips

• Don’t portray yourself as a company instead have friendly conversations
• Ask your fans for help such as ask them for feedback on what was so bad about your service or what was so great about your service.
• Make the CEO of your courier company engage with the fan base
• Talk about how your courier business is helping the environment
• etc

The bottom line that any business should take away from this post is:

1. Educate your fans, followers
2. Engage and participate in the conversation
3. Entertain your fans, followers – this could be though short video clips, pictures, etc

Jay Berkowitz in his book the Ten Golden Rules puts it really well.
His first rule is there are no rules: That is actually very true. In the online environment you can test and refine your strategy dynamically with no major hurdles as compared to the offline world.

Traditionally when launching a product, marketeers would:

1. Hold Workshops and focus groups.
2. Create a TV Commercial.
3. Run the TV commercial and billboards talking about the service.
4. Run a few press releases in the top magazines to gain momentum.
5. Advertise on the radio with various sets of advertisements.

In the Online world you can

1. Set up a landing page on your website that resembles your brand along with the product or service offering.
2. Have a special running if the offer is referred to friends and associates.
3. Run a few Google Ad word campaigns driving traffic to the landing page.
4. Bang in a month you can see whether or not the advertising campaign has made an impact or not.

At the moment Video is the hottest social media tool, youtube is the No3 website in the world and the No 2 search engine in the world after Google. So think of this as an opportunity to create short videos that can engage your audience. These videos do not need to be expensive.

Here is just one of those examples for small businesses thinking about how to get their product visually out there

Hey at the end of the day just go about doing things the non traditional way and have fun. Don’t get bogged down with project plans and release cycles there is more to life than just being the mask that you wear at work . Enjoy