Is There A Secret Sauce For Social Media Success?

There are an unlimited number of ways to use social media for your business. Networking, awareness, lead generation, and customer service are all possible through social media. It’s still new to many businesses, and it’s always changing. Unfortunately for new and old marketers alike, that means it’s almost impossible to establish a science behind it, or a set of best practices to follow.
Successful online marketers and entrepreneurs know the value of social media. And while it’s tempting to look to them for the secret sauce in it all, what you may find instead is just Thousand Island dressing.

 

How Does Social Media Fit Into Your Business?

I honestly believe that any company can be successful on social media, but not all businesses should use social media the same way. As much as we want there to be a shortcut to success, a specific blueprint for everyone’s own unique business goals simply does not exist.
Looking to successful social media marketers is a good way to get started. They can offer a lot of advice and insight into some best practices and new ideas for your own strategy. Even if you’re not a beginner, there is always something new to learn by collaborating with other marketers.
Just keep in mind that they are advising others based on their own experience with their specific social strategy. It may not translate well into what works for your business.
So? Stop searching for the recipe for their secret sauce. Instead, plan to dedicate some time experimenting with different tactics. See which ones work best for your own goals and start figuring out a specific strategy for yourself.

 

 Your Two Main Ingredients: Planning and Tracking

Many people learn best by doing; I’m certainly one of them. But social media marketing works best if there’s a solid strategy behind it.
Here are a few specific ways you can think about your strategy:

• Set your goals: Start by defining what it is you want to get out of social media. Do you want to provide an efficient customer service channel? Do you want to promote certain aspects of your business, like your company culture, or your community service? Do you want to build awareness and generate leads? Is it all of the above?
• Pick your networks: You want to be where your customers and prospects spend time, so take some time and learn about the demographics of the different social networks. If you’re trying to reach millennials on Facebook, for example, your efforts may be wasted.
• Keep your story in context: While planning, designing, and executing your content strategy, keep the customer experience in mind. Each social network can communicate to your audience in a unique and compelling way. This is often called native marketing, with native content.
• Track your results: Analytics are essential to your overall execution. Find out what metrics you want to track based on your goals, and look at them on a consistent basis. Do more of what works, and less of what doesn’t, and if a specific kind of content isn’t working, try something new.

Designing and executing a successful social strategy takes a lot of time, effort, and some trial and error. It’s OK to feel impatient with your results, but don’t give up on the daily work it takes to achieve your long term goals. You may not find the secret sauce, but over time you’ll be able to write a recipe that helps your business find its own social media success.