TheCEOMamma Blog » Social Media

Business Need a Boost? 5 Steps to Impact in a Crowded Niche

Andrea Bolder — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:00:44 +0000

We all want our businesses to grow and to be profitable. I know I do. But when you are one among many and a newbie among vets, getting seen and heard is more than a notion.

It is getting more and more difficult to make an impact online, particularly in industries that are saturated with tons of quality content and top notch entrepreneurs.

But it never fails – a few online marketers bust onto the scene, claiming their spots amongst the greats while establishing themselves as an authority to be reckoned with.

How do they do it? How can a novice – with no special skills or super human powers – rise to the top so quickly?

There are a few key traits that all successful entrepreneurs possess that have given them that extra “secret sauce” to make an impact and build a large audience in no time flat.

1. No Holds Barred

You’ll find this holds true over and over again with successful people. They are not bound by restrictions or limitations. They play the game by their own rules and simply do more (much more) of what everyone else thinks that they should be doing to create a successful business.

You have to be relentless, you have to play harder and tougher than anyone else and you have to be committed to getting things done.

That means writing 2-3 blog posts a week, attending meetups for 3 nights straight, connecting with 25 influencers a month. If it means bringing in more clients they’ll find a way to do it. You might need to pull an all-nighter to get your project finished on time. You may have to give more of yourself without an immediate return because that is what is going to bring success.

2. Overpromise but always Overdeliver

There is an old adage – you get what you pay for. Well in a society where fluff and hype run rampant, people are surprisingly refreshed when they pay for something that not only lives up to their expectation, but exceeds it.

Before you put out a piece of content, create a new product or simply right a status update on Facebook, ask yourself…is what I’m putting out of value to someone else. If the answer is no, don’t write it, don’t make it, don’t post it.

As an industry leader you have to please your audience in a way that no one else can. You must find ways to establish yourself as the go-to expert in your industry and the only way that happens is if you know you stuff and you deliver it on a silver platter.

It’s your job to constantly raise the bar.

3. Be A Teacher First

When you can transition from being the student to the teacher, finding ways to articulate solutions in a way that your audience connects with, there is a great chance you’ll find success.

The ability to help others solve their problems in a way that is easy for them to understand is an undervalued gift.

You must be detailed and meticulous when you teach – put yourself in the shoes of your inexperienced students. How would you like someone to teach you?

Taking techniques, applications, practices and strategies, breaking them down in such a way that anyone can understand is the mark of a great teacher.

4. Don’t be a Jack of all Trades

Know what you’re good at and what you need to leave alone. A mark of a successful marketer is that are not known for being a master of many. Define your passion, find your purpose and aggressively pursue your niche without distraction.

I’ve talked about this over and over again to my students.

A “jack of all trades, is a master of none”.

Once I determined what I was passionate about – I was able to run my business with laser focus. No longer was I distracted by hype, the next “big opportunity” or the “shiny things” others had or where buying.

If it didn’t fit into my overall message or success map, I did not pursue it.

5. Engage, Inform, Entertain

The problem with many marketers and business owners is that they do not know how to draw an audience. It doesn’t matter how much you know if no one ever reads your content.

It’s important to understand how to attract people to you, how to pique the interest of your target audience in a way that will not only grab their attention but hold it until you are done sharing your message.

Take the time to craft hypnotic headlines. Spend an extra few minutes engaging your fans and followers on the social media networks. Do a little more than the norm –vanilla is great on a cone, but it doesn’t work when it comes to marketing your business and brand. Make a statement, be bold, stand out, go against the grain – but most importantly be you!

Understand that progress is on purpose and once you know how to relentlessly harness your strengths and share it with other people in a way that is beneficial you will be at the top of your niche in no time!

Andrea Bolder

Author and visionary of the popular blog Marketing.Mindset.Money, Andrea Bolder, a former professional athlete and Olympic Gold Medalist, shares insight and step-by-step strategies that show solo-entrepreneurs and small business owners exactly how to build a successful business leveraging the power of social media.

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How to Outsource Your Social Media Marketing

Andrea Bolder — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:00:40 +0000

One of the most common questions I get from busy entrepreneurs – who are not only trying to build a successful business but may be working a job, balancing baby, kids and a husband all at the same time – is how do I find someone to do my social media marketing for me?

Many will agree that there are just not enough hours in the days to get everything done and as an entrepreneur building what will hopefully be a thriving business – you will one day come to the realization that “I just can’t do this alone.”

So how do you outsource your social media marketing?

While I understand fully that you can hand off your social media marketing tasks to anyone who has a computer and an internet connection, I am going to take a stance that may be a little bit controversial here.

I do not suggest you outsource your social media marketing?

Why?

What makes social media so powerful for small business owners and solopreneurs is that you get to connect with potential customers, clients and partners in a way that showcases your authentic self.

People come to know, like and trust your business by way of knowing, liking and trusting you first!

Your voice, your message, how you articulate and communicate with others through social media is unique. It is not something that can be replaced or easily swapped out by some virtual assistant who may not know anything about your personality, your style your products or your services.

Easing the Burden With Automation Tools

There are a number of tools and strategies you can implement to streamline your social media activities – ensuring you are getting the most out of your online marketing time.

Use tools like Hootsuite, Socialoomph and Social Plum – many which are free by the way – to but your social media content on autopilot. Pre-schedule status updates to Facebook, tweets to Linkedin and posts to LinkedIn.

Take 30 minutes, one day a week, to map out your content distribution schedule.

You will find that you’ll be able to promote your products, services and content without ever logging in to your social media accounts.

While you will have to take time to engage on social media – you have to be present on social media to build a following – implementing these simple, easy to use automation tools can cut down the time you spend on your overall social media marketing routine by 20-30 minutes a day.

When outsourcing is the only option.

If you just can’t get around hiring someone to take care of your social media needs, here are a few things to consider.

Think, Who Can Be Me?

Or at least who knows me the best?

It definitely isn’t going to be some virtual assistant you’ve never met before, who is unfamiliar with your personal style or company culture.

If you have to outsource, consider hiring a member from your company who knows your products or services and what your business is all about.

Consider a family member or friend who has insight to your personality and is good at communicating.

Communication is key when it comes to social media and it’s important to outsource your tasks to someone who can communicate your overall message first, not necessarily trying to find someone who is “techie”.

The technical aspects of navigating social media can be taught, but remember no one can represent you and your company better than you!

While outsourcing can be great in saving you time, think about what you might lose by not allowing your clients and customers to connect with the true voice behind your brand.

Andrea Bolder

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How to Create a Simple Twitter Business Strategy

CEOMamma — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:36:15 +0000

Should Twitter be considered an important social media tool for business? I would have to say, yes! I have been using Twitter since 2009 but no where in the capacity of how I use Facebook. Twitter has always generated a decent flow of traffic to my blog, but even without having a strategy in place, I’ve acquired some quality clients who found me on Twitter.

In 2012, I decided to spend a bit more time using Twitter to meet more people and grow my business. I came up with a simple strategy that didn’t require much more of my time and must say, I’ve been pleased with the results so far.

By increasing my Twitter networking…

I gain a minimum of 20 new followers each day.
ReTweets of my tweets have nearly tripled.
Twitter traffic to my blogs have increased.
I’ve connected with some new awesome women in business.

This is only from being consistent daily over the last 2 months. As I mentioned before, I didn’t want to spend to much more time on social media each day so I have incorporated a few tools and strategies that are working for me.

My Twitter Strategy

Before I implement any marketing strategy in my business, I plan my process and set up my systems. I use a social media dashboard – HootSuite, to manage mostly all my social networks but use it mainly for Twitter.

I brag about HootSuite often because it has been a huge part of how I manage the amount of time I spend on social media marketing. I wrote a post a while back about why I love HootSuite and the benefits of using it for your business.

My process is simple, I add my RSS feed to HootSuite so my blog posts will automatically post to my Twitter feed. I also use it to schedule important tweets I want to go out automatically in a particular week. Having these set up allows me more time to use Twitter to engage and interact with my followers.

I incorporate Twitter into my day…as I come across great blog posts and content across the web, I tweet what I find. I also use the lists feature to keep up with some of my favorite people to follow, those in my network circle and those who share valuable information that would benefit my followers and ReTweet their posts.

I spend about 15 minutes in the morning, afternoon and evening interacting with my followers and I take advantage of my “in between time” and can jump on for awhile using my favorite mobile Twitter App – UberSocial for Blackberry.

Another great way to meet new people is participating in a Tweet Chat or Twitter Party as I like to call them. I host a twitter party the last Friday of each month using the hashtag #TheCEOMamma and we focus on different topics related to small business marketing.

Important tips to remember…

Automation is a great fill in but absolutely nothing will replace your presence and interaction with others to build relationships and solid connections.
Take time to get to know others, be a “connector” when appropriate.
Make sure your profile is public (not set to private), you have a photo of yourself and a descriptive bio letting people know what you are all about.
Take the initiative, follow people who are interesting and share great tweets and have similar interest or are in your industry.
Be yourself, be authentic and be consistent

Follow these tips and you well be well on your way to building your Twitter network and growing your business. For additional tips on how to use Twitter, check out this post by one of my Twitter Buddies – MissKemya

Do you have a strategy for using Twitter? I’d love to hear about it:

CEOMamma

Tamyka Washington is a wife, mother to six, Founder/CEO of TheCEOMamma Network, marketing strategist, coach and mentor. Tamyka empowers new and seasoned women entrepreneurs to business breakthrough by blending powerful attraction marketing methods with effective social media strategies to establish a CREDIBLE brand and profitable freedom based business online. Visit here website below, to learn more:

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How to be a Successful Business Blogger

CEOMamma — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:32 +0000

Are you looking for easy to follow steps to creating a blog that will get you MORE clients & increase your income…even if you don’t know the FIRST thing about blogging?

Do You Want To:

Use a Blog to Attract Your Ideal Clients?
Generate Quality Traffic That Converts?
Fill Your Pipeline With High Target Leads?
Increase Your Profits With Your Blog?
Enjoy Less Work But Make More Money?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you may be interested in learning more about my Business Blogger Bootcamp Program!

Over the course of 12 weeks, you will be guided through the most effective and profitable ways for solo-preneurs, network marketers and service professionals to create and market a traffic generating, income producing blog for business.

You will be taken by the hand through every step you need to start establishing a credible brand, producing content that attracts quality prospects and start earning a steady, and increasing, stream of income. From getting crystal clear on your niche market to designing a system on autopilot – you will develop the skills to recognize the needs of your market and how to deliver compelling content that converts.

Click Here to watch a brief video presentation and learn more!

CEOMamma

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How to Find Social Media Content to Share

CEOMamma — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:38 +0000

Are you trying to find a balance between building your brand while being seen as a thought leader in your industry?

Watch this video presented by Social Media Examiner TV. In this episode, Mari introduces you to the concept of curating content and how it can help your business. And Mari also reviews 8 content curation tools to help you find the best information for your business.

Can’t see the video? Click here to watch it.

CEOMamma

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How to Position and Promote Yourself in 2012

CEOMamma — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:22:53 +0000

Many of us know the value of blogging for business and sharing quality content across social media networks to establish our brand, but a lot of business owners don’t know how to really do it effectively to make money.

Blogging and content marketing are two of the most highly effective, inexpensive ways for entrepreneurs to get started online, building their brand and business. Not only that, it allows you the ability to position, package and promote yourself to your ideal audience on a much larger scale.

Recently, I had the honor of being the guest of Pam Perry, PR Coach on her Synergy Energy Show – Time for Real Talk about Making Money Online. It was a great privilege to share with her listeners, as we discussed:

How valuable having a blog is for your business
How quality content can impact your brand
How to get set up and started blogging the right way
How to attract your ideal clients and business partners
How you can generate additional streams of income

To hear the tips Pam and I shared, click here to listen now!

CEOMamma

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Become a Contributing Guest Writer at TheCEOMamma

CEOMamma — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:00:33 +0000

TheCEOMamma Blog is a high quality, content rich, information resource site, created to help women entrepreneurs and women in business, learn how to build a credible brand and profitable business online by using proven marketing strategies, methods and tools.

Our primary goal as we continue to grow, is to expand our market to reach and educate more women online! In order to successfully achieve our goal, I need your help. I would like to extend to you an invitation to partner with me by becoming a contributing writer!

If you are familiar with TheCEOMamma and:

Learned effective ways to market your business online
Have implemented what you’ve learned and got results
Believe in our Brand and ethics
Enjoy being a part of a supportive community
Value our resources and information

I’d love to invite you to become a part of our team! This is a win-win for each of us. Becoming a contributing guest writer at our blog has its benefits, especially if you are looking for a way to build awareness for your brand and display your expertise.

TheCEOMamma currently ranks in the top 5 on Google for
Business Marketing for Women Entrepreneurs.

What are the basic requirements?

You have experience on a topic of interest to our readers
You are a woman entrepreneur or woman in business
You serve a similar market (women in business)
You have experience blogging/writing
You are familiar with TheCEOMamma and what we do

If you are interested, please Click Here to review and submit your application. Let’s partner and grow together as we help other women entrepreneurs and business owners, do the same!

CEOMamma

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Isn’t It Time You Stop Hiding and Show Up on Social Media in a Bigger Way?

CEOMamma — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:00:18 +0000

Can we talk? I want you to imagine I am sitting right next you.

I’m sitting at my computer right now allowing my heart and soul to reach out to you via this medium online. I am here 100%.

So let’s get real, OK?

How’s your social media marketing REALLY going? Are you building communities that resonate with you? Do you engage frequently with your communities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube? Are you posting compelling info to create interaction?

Are you allowing the REAL you to show up through your postings?

Or are you hiding behind the computer hesitant to post something in fear it may come across not appropriate? Are you afraid of being “seen” in the wrong way?

Many business owners are in BIG fear of appearing incorrectly or being too “boastful” about their business, their accomplishments, and their lives. This is the most common fear most entrepreneurs have. This trumps the technology fears many have by far.

And that is one BIG lie you tell yourself. (That’s ego not spirit.)

Here’s the truth: we are here to shine our lights to inspire others. It’s not about you. It’s about you showing up in the world in your most authentic way that inspires others to do the same. Social Media is a gift that allows you to do just that.

As you make yourself visible on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, — you are marketing you as the brand. You have an obligation to expose your talents that can transform someone’s life.

Small or large – you are here to serve.

And this is where your personal brand comes in. You must be savvy & sophisticated in your presence – your virtual voice online – your image. It is then you give others permission to do the same which leads to thousands serving one another in a BIG way. I call this the Law of Increase; being a good steward of Social Media.

This concern must be dealt with before you even consider learning all the fabulous tools and applications on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. The tools won’t be effective for you until you allow yourself to be transparent and engage frequently on these platforms.

Isn’t it time you stop hiding and step up to serve others by being the real brilliant you?

How can you do that? Start by understanding the art of storytelling in your branding. Today in our “social reward economy” we are digital storytellers. Your life is a story that inspires and connects with others. All your posts over time add up to form you, the brand.

Three reasons why storytelling is so important:

People can relate to brands through their stories. Stories are humanizing. People connect with stories.
People remember details and messages more effectively through stories. Storytelling helps people create images in the mind and these images “stick” better than just talk. (So don’t shy away from the colorful, quirky details that give your story character.)
Storytelling conveys the unique evolution of you – the brand.

Personal branding in business today is not a luxury; it’s a necessity if you are to deliver powerful marketing and generate serious revenues. Again, we live in a “social reward” economy. The savvier you become in your social media marketing – the more income you will make. Your personality and everyday thoughts, feelings, and events create your brand in order to build the know, like and trust factor while using social media.

Key tip: your personal page on Facebook is paramount in your marketing. Please do not leave this out of the equation because you may think you are not supposed to mix business with personal; quite the contrary. The fan page is 100% business; but it’s your personal brand that captures the emotional resonance of your relationships online.

When we move our offline life to an online presence (virtual world) we aspire to be as authentic and transparent as possible in order to build relationships that eventually convert to clients and customers.

I am encouraging you to raise your standards in how you market so that you are in alignment with the way our NEW economy is requiring us to be and do. We aspire to talk “with” our communities not talk “at” them as we post and inspire interaction. That’s true engagement.

My clients consistently ask what’s the most simple way to begin to raise my standards and how do I inspire engagement? I start with “content is queen” and even more so – compelling content is best!

Take a look at these Topics that Inspire Engagement on Facebook & Twitter and begin using this today:

TIP: (Be sure to post photos, videos, & links for more consistent placement in Newsfeed on Facebook; and use first person, conversational format)

Current topics in the news (positive!)
- Fashion, movies, TV shows, celebrities, philanthropy, culture, books, music, art, comedy, social media successes

Every day relationships: romance, family, children, friends, weddings

Personal triumphs where others were served well, too

Personal philanthropy/humanitarian activities – be sure to post photos and videos of you and other volunteers doing the activity for the non-profit. Post narration of the event in your posting.

Inspiration

Pets

Travel, vacations

Your personal branding success formula to monetize your Social Media is: Brand + Identify + Post + Engage + Build = Success. I dare you to Step into the Spotlight with confidence, savvy & ease!

Article excerpt from Marla’s new 30-page eGuide: Step into the Spotlight with Confidence, Savvy, and Ease: Your Business eGuide to Personal Branding in a Social Reward Economy.” More details about the eGuide: http://tinyurl.com/eGuide2011

About Marla: Marla Dennis, a personal branding, online marketing & Social Media Savvy expert with over two decades in entertainment public relations and talent management, publishes Step into the Spotlight monthly ezine for entrepreneurs. Join her success circle of entrepreneurs who use social media and online marketing as powerful revenue producing activities while employing a wealth mindset to manifest increased results! Please visit http://www.eCreativebiz.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marla_Dennis

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6590436

CEOMamma

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Build Your Online Presence the Slow Cooker Way

CEOMamma — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:00:43 +0000

The really great things in life are neither free nor easy.

Think about the best relationships in your life. Didn’t they take time to nurture and grow? Undoubtedly there were hiccups on the way and obstacles to overcome. Yet the beauty of the relationship kept you going, pressing through the problems until one day, like the Sarah Groves song states, “life with you is half as bad and twice as good.”

How about the skills you have developed- either through a formal college education or the real-life training. Did you achieve mastery in your subject matter or skill set in a week, a month or even a year? No, because skills and knowledge take time to learn, to practice and to become proficient in. It is the same with building your social media influence.

Building your social media influence in like cooking a roast over several hours, even overnight, in a slow cooker. It is not searing salmon for 2 minutes for a stir fry. We want to stir fry our social media, cooking it up to a large following with rich conversations, feedback and profits. But it doesn’t work like that. Businesses, the good ones, the ones that last, develop over time with a strong foundation.

The Foundation of a Slow Cooker, Solid Foundation

Social media is all about relationships. It’s not about selling something or pushing an agenda. People and businesses do that through social media, but it’s not why social media was started or what sustains it today. In addition, people who use it simply to push their own products and message typically fizzle out or lose their following.

Because the web is about people, it is essential to add value to others with your own valuable set of skills and knowledge. There are three key concepts that will help you develop a strong base as a social media mover and shaker in your sphere of influence.

1. Slow cooker crock pot meals do not come together in a single hour. They take several hours to cook and simmer. Likewise, social media is not an overnight sensation. It takes time to develop your platform and figure out where you fit the best.

It takes time to learn how to use and master the social mediums you are using. Twitter takes time to learn and use effectively. It takes time to create a Facebook page that is interesting enough for more than your friends to follow! Time is needed to figure what social media sites fit with you as a person and as a business. When I first started dabbling in the realm of social media I wasn’t sure where I wanted to start. I started with the most popular sites but I checked out other sites too. Slowly, my learning curve got better. I figured out where I wanted to be.

More importantly, I figured out where I did not want to be! The same will be true with you. In fact, you will be a much more effective social media user if you take the time to immerse yourself in multiple social media outlets and figure out which is the best fit for you. This concept is so important I want to say it again- You will hold a stronger influence in your niche when you take the time to immerse yourself in different social media outlets and decide which ones are the best for you. We can’t do it all. Ultimately, for you to be effective on the web you need to pick what feels most like you and go for it. And that will take some time.

2. Just like identifying what kind of meat and spices you throw into your slow cooker, you need to have a specific voice when working online. This will become more apparent the more time you spend on the web. Not only will you develop your own voice but you start to catch the “voices” of other people. You identify the quackers. “Quacker” is the term I use to call people who say anything and everything but do not have a focus or anything valuable to offer. Their focus is unclear and they seem to try to get the attention of anyone they can.

Ultimately, they are the people we end up ignoring or “unfollowing” (if you are a Twitter user!) Life is too full to take in more junk! We don’t want junk in our inboxes, our physical mail boxes or life in general. Take a clue from the quackers- say something of value and be yourself! Don’t be smarter than you are or try to perpetuate a personality that isn’t really you. People can spot a faker a mile away.

3. Embrace the time concept. It takes time for people to find you. It takes time for you to find them. I remember when I first started exploring the online maze. I almost gave up before I started. I couldn’t connect with people are even know who to follow, listen to or respond to. But the more I interacted with people online, listening to what they were saying and adding in value-filled content, the easier it was to find who I had been looking for. In addition, I became more fluent in social media language.

As you and I progress through the social media jungle, we discover our goals change. That’s o.k. – accept it as a sign that you are growing as a person and business as you identify what you do and don’t want to do. Not all of us want to be hugely known in social media. We may find some outlets that are of great use to us and stick with those, choosing to divert the rest of our valuable time to other business building activities.

Whatever you do, I hope you give social media chance. There is a learning curve to every skill and moving to the social media groove is no exception. Pay attention to what you like. Develop your own voice and be yourself. Give other people valuable information and helpful advice with the skills you have. Generous people receive generosity from others. Don’t be an information Scrooge!

And have fun with it. After all, to be in business is to enjoy being around people. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and other sites are simply another outreach of communicating and growing in niche communities. Just like the slow cooker produces an ideal hot, flavorful meal after simmering for several hours, your online presence will begin to produce relationships once it boils for a season of time!

Melissa AuClair is a freelance web writer helping entrepreneurs and business develop their online voices and learning what their clients really want through narrative writing and social media presence. To learn more about her and receive a complementary report on developing your social media presence, go to http://www.melissaauclair.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_L_AuClair

CEOMamma

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The Biggest Secret to Social Media Success

CEOMamma — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:20:02 +0000

If you are doing business online, chances are you are involved in some sort of regular social media activity. From big companies down to the small entrepreneur start-up, just about everyone can recognize the impact social media has on a business.

As easy as it is for the average “Joe” to engage in social media marketing and the almost over bearing awareness this method has pressed upon us, its almost impossible for one not to see the benefit of being part of it.

Even with all the perks and promises social media marketing brings to the table, especially for entrepreneurs on a shoestring budget, so many find themselves lost and confused about how to really pull it all together to create a satisfying result within their business.

With the constant evolving and the seemingly never-ending demand of having to learn something new almost daily, it can be challenging for a new marketer to keep up, let alone “figure it out”.

Social media marketing is a fast paced approach to building a business with many tricks and tactics to achieve a level of desired success. It is also quit obvious, some are far more fruitful than others.

It makes you wonder, is there really a secret formula and is it possible to truly master social media marketing?

In my opinion, I don’t believe anyone can truly master social media marketing. Yes, there are surly people out there who have established a great presence and brand for themselves by discovering a niche, crafted their skill and are able to really standout in the industry.

What makes these individuals so unique is that they have mastered an area of social media marketing that they have a great passion for which allows them to move in a position of authority and leadership.

Is there a SECRET to social media marketing success?

My answer: Yes & No

The reason I say this is because the “secrets”, honestly boil down to simply being strategies that work. Often times when a marketer stumbles upon a highly effective strategy, they keep it a secret because they don’t want to create competition for themselves.

I look at it from another angle, all marketers learn from each other and eventually, someone is going to figure it out and tell everyone else. On top of that, there are always new entrepreneurs and small business owners emerging who want and need to learn the ropes.

There are so many “secrets” to social media success out there, it’s really all about finding those that will work for you and your business because realistically, you can’t implement them all.

What I have found to be the biggest “secret” to social media success that many overlook is, STRATEGY!

We are so tempted to just get on Facebook and post something just because all of our friends or business associates are doing it. But those who have success on social media are able to recognize that just like traditional marketing, a plan and a goal must be in place…FIRST.

3 Reasons Why You Need a Strategy:

1. To achieve your goals in a timely manner. So obviously first, you should have a specific (not generic) goal set. Assuming you have set a 30 day goal to generate new traffic to your website, you are now able to focus on creating the tasks that need to be done within that time frame. Since your goal is specific and set, you will also be able to determine what you have to do and the type of activities you will need to put in place to reach your target date.

When you have a goal, it will eliminate the amount of wasted time spent not only posting random and meaningless updates to Facebook or Twitter but also limit the amount of time you spend on these spaces as well.

Time is the most valuable commodity you have and should be spent wisely.

2. To effectively and purposefully engage your target audience. Another important reason to have a strategy is to understand exactly who your market is. Based on your goal, you will have a clearer picture on how to go about attracting the right audience and how to interact with them.

Your strategy is designed to assist you with being effective in your marketing efforts instead of aimlessly hoping that something you post or tweet will catch the attention of someone who may potentially be interested in what you have to offer.

It’s not about what you as the business owner thinks is a great piece of material, it has to be about what you the “marketer” knows is the right information your target audience wants.

3. To produce quality content and develop a solid conversion structure. As a social media marketer, your overall objective is to create compelling content that sparks a reaction to act….PERIOD! If your not doing that, your wasting your time and need to quickly figure out where there is a disconnect and fix it.

When you have taken the steps to design a complete strategy, getting your target from point A to point B becomes a snap. If your goal is to get people to your website, you must have something in place for them to “DO” once they get there. The finishing piece to your strategy should be a conversion – a new subscriber to your list, a product sale, a new client or customer, etc.

Of course, there are many more “secrets” to social media success but having a strategy is by far, the most vital because it is designed to get results.

If you would like to learn more about successful social media marketing and how you can get the results you want, Click Here to Listen to my recent Teleseminar:

5 Social Media Secrets: Easily Attract Your Ideal Clients & Increase Your Income on a Shoestring Budget

CEOMamma

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