Here are six tips for social media that you need to consider in doing business:

Determine What Social Media Works for Your Business

Many times when businesses take the social media plunge, they feel like they have to be active on every available platform. The end result is that they end up doing none of them well. They would be much better suited choosing a couple of platforms and learning to use those well.

Also, depending on your industry, some social media platforms work better than others. Here is an example. If you own a plumbing company, Twitter might not be a great fit. “Hey, just unclogged another toilet in Los Angeles.” Compelling stuff right? On the other hand, creating videos for YouTube showing plumbing tips such as how to install a new toilet would be a lot more relevant and a greater service to your audience.

Don’t Assume Your Customers Share Your Personal Beliefs

If you are using social media to promote your business, keep in mind that this is the purpose, not to present a personal agenda. Discussing your personal, religious or political views can very possibly turn off potential customers. Don’t make the assumption that your audience believes everything that you do. While you have a right to express your viewpoints, potential customers also have the right to avoid your business because they find your views offensive. It is best to reserve these kinds of posts for your personal social media profiles.

If It Might Be a Problem, It Probably Will Be

If you have to think whether or not to post something, then you probably shouldn’t. Many times people will post comments that they think are funny but in many cases they can be hurtful to other people or downright offensive. It is perfectly fine to inject humor into your posts but be careful that you aren’t alienating your audience in the process.

Don’t Serial Post

While it is important to stay engaged with your social media, over posting can be just as unhelpful as not posting at all. If every time someone goes onto social media and all they see are your posts clogging their feeds, they are going to get very tired very quickly. If you are posting more than a couple of times a day on each social media, it is too much.

Give Something Back

Social media is about building a community. Community means give and take. One of the best analogies I’ve heard regarding social media is that it is like a blind date. If you meet someone and all they do is talk about themselves and don’t show interest in what you have to say, chances are there will not be a second date. If you go to other social media sites and just post stuff that you are offering and don’t show any interest in what they do, you become the personal without a lot of second dates.

Stay the Course

There is a progression with many companies when building their social media presence. They come out of the gate strong. They frequently post and there is a real sense of excitement. However, after a couple of weeks, they lose steam and before they know it, it has been six months since their last post.

Creating a successful social networking profile takes time. Creating a profile and posting a few times is not going to send customers flocking. You have to be consistent and you have to build up your following naturally. It is a lot of hard work but the results will be there over time if you are diligent.

Final Thoughts on Los Angeles Social Media

Social media can be a very effective marketing tool for your business when performed successfully. It can be a fun and interactive way to promote your business. If you have questions regarding social media, I’d love to hear them. Email me at mark@choosebsg.com.