Set Your Marketing Right, Here Are 7 Basic Social-Media Tips

When it comes to marketing your brand online, if you’re not on social media — and doing it right — you’re missing a huge opportunity. That said, busy entrepreneurs and other professionals often have a difficult time navigating the quickly growing world of social media.

Fortunately, we’re here to your rescue. Here are some helpful tips to get you off on the right foot.

1. Know thy social platform.
Just as there are recipes for favorite foods, there are formulas for effective posts, tweets and #latergrams — depending on the social site. Having the right mix of pictures, questions or quotes can make the difference between a post going viral or going into the void.

2. Be yourself.
Business is, ultimately, all about connections — and not just the professional networking kind. If you want your message to resonate with customers, give them something relatable and human to connect to. With everything being automated, it might not come so easily, but it’s well worth the effort.

3. Watch out for common mistakes.
Before you can capitalize on what’s going right, understand what you’re doing wrong. Thankfully, there’s a handy list of common mistakes for you to familiarize yourself with and avoid like the plague.

4. Use the tools of the trade.
Believe it or not (and why not, really?), there is technology out there to help you make the most of tools you’re already using. From Tweetdeck to PinAlert, there are tools to help you optimize each specific network. After all, what works for LinkedIn doesn’t work as well on Pintrest. These are the tools you need in your social media toolbelt.

5. Embrace new networks.
At the beginning, the next big thing is just some new thing that nobody’s paying much attention to. Myspace was king of social networks before some new site named The Facebook came on the scene, for example. There are benefits to being an early adopter of new networks, whether that’s Google+ or some other yet-unnamed platform, because you never know which one will take off. Get in on the ground floor of a new social network when you can.

6. Be open to change.
The New Year is almost upon us, and that means new strategies where social media is concerned. Sure, it’s different from what you’re comfortable with right now, but it might also be more effective.

7. Consider other avenues, too.
Social media is a great way to create awareness and customer outreach. Still, it is not the only way to put your business out there. An investor would tell you to diversify your portfolio. This is also accurate advice in regards to your marketing strategy.

Carly Okyle – Entrepreneur