News flash! Social media strategies don’t have a magic formula…

That’s right. There is no hidden elixir to ensure success with your social media campaign.

BUT there are absolutely some very basic, yet critical elements which must be at the foundation of all of your social media. (There are also pieces to the puzzle that take a bit more research and know-how.)

Here are just a few to get you on the right track:

Content is king (or queen). Just like in ALL marketing, what you say and how you say it is absolutely vital. There is an art to writing shorter, pithy social media copy. Grab your microscope and make it your business to study how other posts get (or lose) your attention.

Get the most bang for your social media buck. While social media is largely free, there is a cost of time. There are literally thousands of options. Be sure to choose the channels that best reach your target market, leverage your time, and promote your brand.

Get others involved. This isn’t all about YOU. It’s all about ME. Okay, not “me” per se but the “me” in every single human on the planet who wants to know what’s in it for them. Pretty basic human nature. Every good sales person/marketer understands this quality and it doesn’t evaporate just because we’re on a social site. Ask for opinions. Share quotes. Comment on posts.

Don’t sell directly from social media. If you crash into the social media world with your best used-car salesman pitch, you’ll be quickly ostracized by your social media brethren…and rightfully so. Social media is not a tool for selling but a tool for building relationships. (The good news is the sales are a natural progression of strong bonds. BE PATIENT.)

Play nice. Social media lives on for a very long time. Search engines pick posts up. Other people can spread the word about your posts whether positive or negative. Just as if you were face-to-face with a person from your community rather than behind a keyboard, treat them the way you’d like to be treated.

If you’re still baffled by how to set up a powerful strategy in your business using social media, by all means consider joining me for an in-depth workshop called, Social Media Strategies to Build Your Community, Expand Your Brand & Connect with Your Target Market.

It’s a 4-week webinar series that starts Wednesday, March 10 at 1pm PT/4pm ET.

Yup, it’ll be recorded if you can’t make it live. Check it out here at www.RedHotSocial.com. Trust me, I’m not holding anything back on this training. Hope to see you there. Meanwhile, if you have any comments about how YOU use (or would like to use) social media, please add them below.

And if you have any questions, let us know at www.RedHotHelpDesk.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 6:05 am and is filed under Blogging Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.