Testing your ideas

Step 3: Implementation, trial and error.

Step 3 in your social media setup will be the implementation of all the ideas you had in mind for your social media comes to life. Remember, ideas aren't always as practical as you may think, so it’s important to be flexible in this stage and let some of your good ideas go.

Just a recap of Steps one two and tree that I Step 1: Defining your target market, Step 2: Social media Strategy and now step 3: Implementation of your social media strategy.

Implementing your strategy will be hard work, seeking your attention for the first month more than ever. Following the program of your Social Media Strategy alone will not be enough for your business to start building on a active base of users. For this period of time Laaik Us recommends that you use a strategic approach to making your page.

If you have a company logo, use it as a vantage point from where you can create graphic elements for your page like profile pictures and cover photos. Give short and sweet descriptions of your business with all the necessary information and contact details.

Start building up your business using twitter and linking it to other social media platforms like Facebook. By considering the social media guidelines I posted earlier, start following your social media plan. By analyzing the reaction of users, you can easily see what makes your crowd tick. Make sure that your posts are still relevant to your company and not just funny cat pictures.

Be sure to put in evaluating points in your social media strategy to check if it still correlates with the overall goal of your social media. Remember that your goal may change as the needs of your online fans change.

Always remember that you are going to learn continually about your page on how to control and manage it.

Creating a website

For those of you who are interested in creating your own website as well, here is a infograpic created by Laaik Us on how to create your own website. Websites can be made online at different hosting companies like Wix, Google, Weebly and Yola

Engaging with your users.

Corlia le Roux

You have started up your social media and are posting on regular basis, but what is going to make people have a demand to come to your page? Engagement. Engaging with your users can help build online relations that will make your relationship strong so that users will consider you as close as a friend or follower on their social media.

With help from Brian Solis’s guide for brands and businesses to build, cultivate and measure success on the web, called Engage I found a few pointers that might help explain the changing of marketing environment: A fundamental shift in our culture is underway and it’s creating a new landscape of influences  as well as changing how we define influence. The shift is made to conversations that build loyalty but ultimately have an global impact.

The most important part is understanding the role people play in the process and not only the reading of information but also the sharing of information. As I am doing now, the limit to information sharing is very particular and almost only stops when a person’s human rights are involved.

When making a post, in other words sharing information, your listener should engage in conversation to strengthen or debate your opinion. Ask a question that is: a) relevant to your field, b) interesting, c) newsworthy and d) engaging.

With posts this can be done by asking questions to which the user cannot reply yes or no. There doesn't always have to be a question but by simply making a statement engagement can be initiated. For example, if you have a fish business a relevant post about fish legislation can create the engagement you want for people to talk about your product and realize that you care for matters in your field.

 So if you post something like:   “New laws suggest that general fishing should be constricted to seasons.” This may or may not lead to conversation, depending on the closeness of the subject to your online stakeholder. The user may comment or reply with something like: “Finally! Fish species should be kept safe for the future of our children.”

Lessons of your users will also be learned easily trough analyzing their reply. Also be sure to engage with social media pages from the same type of field you’re in.  This is very important and will help you with ideas for your own page. Engaging and getting into conversations in your own field will help to conduct traffic to your page. If people see that you know what you’re talking about they probably would like to hear more of what you’re saying.

Follow me on Facebook at Laaik Us and twitter @LaaikUs to get recent updates about news in social media. You can also send me an e-mail to LaaikUs@gmail.com if you want me to discuss any particular toppic.

Getting direction

Step 2: Social media Strategy.

I previously uploaded Step 1 on how to define your target audience. If your target audience has the need for social media as a communication medium your Step 2 will be planning your Social media strategy.

A social media strategy is a systematical plan on how you will be managing your social media. I got some of this information at http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-easy-steps-to-a-winning-social-media-plan/

#1 Pre-requirements: Make sure the rest of the company is aware of your social media and the contribution it will make to your company. Remember, social media is not just about selling your product or service, its about selling your brand and building relationships with the consumers so that you will become their favorite brand to whom they’re loyal.

#2 Determine the goal you want to accomplish with social media: Keep goals relevant and give a date for the goals to be achieved. If you want social media to also be part of your marketing plan, incorporate it into your social strategy so that there is scheduled times for announcements on specials, promotions and seasonal advertising.

#3Create digital contacts and content: Its important to follow people/organizations in your trade than contribute to your organization. Subscribe to blogs in your industry and make a list of influences who are relevant to your business. This will help you to see what people are talking about in your specific field and identifying some general problems with a product or service that may be a business opportunity for your organization.

#4 Get interactive: Participate in the conversations on a professional level. Post, tweet, blog, comment and reply on demands of online users. (Post consequent though and only when needed.) Follow the guidelines: “Social media tips” I posted earlier to help you know how to post. By posting regularly and consistent, answering and getting into dialog with users, relationships are formed.

#5 Adapt: Tools like page analytic gives information about the amount of views a post generates and helps you point out peak times for posting. New likes are also an indicator of an online growing environment. Adapt and review your page on weekly basis to point out faults and improve the overall page. More tips at Marketwire.com.

Social media tips

Here are a few pointers to get you started on social media. Hopefully after reading this you will realize the importance of a strategic approach. More in detail descriptions of some of the topics that I touched in this article will follow:

• Always think first if the post you made will draw your attention.

• If something is not part of business, do not post it. There is nothing as irritating as a company that tries to be funny.

• Keep in mind that all types of people read the post.

• Do not start every post with the same words like “what is your…”

• Talk about context bound news /events. If you company won a prize it will be old news if you post it a month later.

• When posting a question. Think of the question before you post it, if the answer is obvious, and there is only answer, why you post it?

• So what? Why should the audience care about what you are talking about?

• Think about sensitivity. Do not make sexual or offensive posts. Be careful what you post on days like Sundays.

• To talk about something simple sometimes attract many comments, but that does not necessarily mean that the post is good and that visitors will revisit.

• Elicit debate, but before you do it, think clearly if you can manage your post?

• Is your post professionally?

• Do not mix language! Even to fit the audience.

• Post maximum 1 post every 4 hours.

• Remember the purpose of media: To educate, entertain and inform, so the site and your posts should cover all three of those needs, not just one.

• Try to take your own pictures, make your own memes and cartoons.

• What you posting, that’s who your company is. Keep that in mind.

• Never delete a comment or post someone made on your social media except if it suppresses the basic rights of another human being.

• If negative feedback is given, react professionally. If you don’t have the information contacts somebody that can help you right away.

• Remain calm on social media, do not be aggressive, it shows that you're not professional.

• If there are different people working with social media, the tone of voice should always be the same no matter who makes the posts.

Does my business need Social Media?

Does my business need Social Media?

Step 1: Defining your target market.

A lot of companies have a social media platform for their Customers and aim to get as many possible likes. The question still remains why? If I’m a Traditional healer in Limpopo, what affectivity does my social media have on my target audience and is it even meaningful.

The target market of the medium used will greatly determine the effectively of the medium. The needs of the target market will also establish the content that needs to be placed on your social media, if it is even needed.

How to determine if your business needs social media:

As said before, the target market will greatly determine the need of social media. The demographical characteristics will first determine the target audience. Where do your target audience live? In cities or in rural areas. What ages, gender, monthly income, education level would best describe your target market? All of these factors will have an impact on the media usable for the value of your social media.

Deeper aspects such as tradition, culture, values and motives also plays a role in this. Some people feel frightened with the idea of social media.

Feel free to put out some questionnaires for your clients to do research on their needs. Ask them if they are on social media platforms, how often they use it, and for what reasons whey would want to have you on their Facebook.

The message that you would like to get across to your target audience is also very important. Don’t say something if people don’t care about it. When considering Social media as a medium, always consider if it is the most effective way to carry messages across.

More tips to follow!

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Facebook at: LaaikUs

 And Twitter: @LaaikUs