We'll Help You Socialize

At New Frontier, we love the fact that Social Media has leveled the playing field between small companies and large companies. Everyone has access to the same list of Social Media channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) - It's the companies who know how to use these tools effectively that are maximizing the platform's true potential.

Here's the bottom line: There's more to Social Media than just putting your logo on a Facebook page and getting people to "like" you. A well-planned social media campaign opens up new doors for your business to generate quality interactions with consumers - interactions that can help elevate your brand, cultivate loyalty, and achieve previously unreachable business goals.

Does your business have an optimized social media strategy? Here are some of our guiding principles that we like to leverage with our clients. Hopefully, you'll find them helpful. And if you want a hand in getting started, contact us and we can create a plan that's right for you.

1. Define Your Social Media Strategy

Before you venture into the world of Social Media, it's important to map out what you want your social campaign to accomplish. Do you want to create awareness? Do you want to build loyalty and retain customers? Do you want to solicit input to help determine future product offerings (or improve your current portfolio)? Think of it this way: You wouldn't reach into a toolbox and start pulling out tools until you had a general idea of what you wanted to build. Social Media works the same way; before you jump in, take a moment to define what a successful campaign might help you achieve, and how the online space can help you meet your objectives.

2. Prepare Your Website

This is often overlooked, but extremely important, as your website may be the most important Social Media tool you have. Think about it - one of your ultimate goals in the social space is to engage consumers and bring them back to your website to continue the conversation. If your website is currently collecting cyberdust or functioning as an "online brochure" (gasp!), your social efforts would be the online equivalent of inviting guests back to a home full of cobwebs, with nowhere for them to sit and nothing for them to eat or drink. If you've been ignoring your website, now's the time to create a platform, tone, and functionality that's consistent with your social initiatives and the consumers you're looking to share them with.

3. Activate Your Social Presence

Here's where things get tactical: If you haven't done it already, today's the day to sign your business up for a representation of key Social Media accounts. Even if you're not sure where you'll be consolidating your efforts, you should establish a "corporate" presence on the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), and consider some of the other options that may be relevant to your business (YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, etc.). The goal here is to stake a claim within the social space by securing your accounts, uploading logos and descriptions, and taking advantage of personalized URL's (e.g., Twitter.com/yourcompanyname) before someone else grabs them. They're all free to join, and once they're yours, they're yours forever.

4. Be Ready To Talk With Consumers - Not At Them

As you begin your Social Media campaign, remember that when your consumers choose to engage with you, they are voluntarily joining an online platform that fits into their lifestyles and matches their interests. As a business, your role is to embrace this platform as an opportunity to listen and learn, to provide engaging content, and to build a symbiotic dialogue with those who are interested in getting to know you better. This isn't the time or place to aggressively sell your products, as bombarding your followers with impersonal sales messages or excessive email blasts is a good way to lose your online friends or have them opt out of your communication initiatives.

5. Have Fun!

The Social Media platform has been described as a giant digital cocktail party where companies and consumers can mingle and interact. While it's obviously important to maintain a sense of professionalism and decorum (we've all heard the horror stories about companies who ended up with their digital feet in their mouths), it's also okay to relax and have a bit of fun. An engaging dialogue with your consumers can help you build a strong following, drive referrals, and provide a true "personality" and sustainable image for your brand.