How To: Make the Most of Social Media

Social Media isn’t just for uploading cute photos of your cats (though, we do really love all of the funny cat GIFs floating out there) or passive aggressively calling out your frenemies anonymously anymore. When used properly, it can be the most effective tool in your self-promoting arsenal.
 
Here are 5 sure fire ways to Make the Most of Social Media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to spread your message and widen your company’s client pool.
 
1 Look. Find out what people are interested in! Keep tabs on what’s trending and see if there is any angle you can work to incorporate even the silliest of trends into the work you are providing. If Kim Kardashian is trending, make sure to slip in the article about that clothing store your company redesigned and how much Kimmy K would love to shop there. Hey, it may even be her next favorite store (says you).
 
2 Listen. Using tools like Hootsuite and HubSpot can allow you to filter content specifically related to the work you do, allowing you to tailor a news feed that gets straight to the content you are looking for. No need to spend the day following every person that may or may not have used the word “marketing” in a completely unrelated tweet six months ago. Flip through pages of content in live time, and earn a better understanding of your potential audience.
 
3 Track. One of the lesser used commodities of the Social Media enterprise, is the track button. No special software or permission necessary, and nearly every site has this special little feature. On Twitter, if the “trending topics” aren’t producing much more than One Direction fan squabble or “Who Wore it Better” nonsense, then you can always navigate to the #Discover page, and search trends on your own “terms”. Similarly, Pinterest, Tumblr, and WordPress all allow you to search tags and gather results spanning a wide array of related topics, and have the capability of saving searches so as to notify you on a rolling basis. This can be a quick and easy way to find where your future fan base is hiding out.
 
4 Contribute. Once you find out what others are talking about, join in on the conversation! Let them know that you are interested in what they have to say and can offer a solution/advice/or just a friendly comment. This will build a rapport with potential customers, or at the very least, establish a friendly face for you company or brand.
 
5 Follow. Once you’ve found your people, give ‘em a follow! Nothing makes people feel more special than someone taking an interest in them! I’m not suggesting you take them to dinner or anything, but hit the “follow” or “like” icon, and maybe they will return the courtesy by checking out your business site, or even giving a friendly follow back.