By now we are all familiar with the top social media sites; Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We see each other tweets and notice that CEO’s like Mike Peter of Campus Advantage tweeted about the National Apartment Association conference 5 times in less than an hour on January 12.
You’ve heard it before, these sites can be powerful resources, help gain exposure and increase your online presence. For some, tweeting and other social media platforms come easy, but for most of us, we learn and explore before hitting the tweet this button.
There are no written rules on how to play the social media field, here are some simple ways to unleash the power of social media and design your own plan for success.
1. Share interesting content
Effective social media practices involve engaging your audience, which means figuring out what they want to know and what purpose you want to serve with your posts. Content can come in many forms, including articles, blog posts, video clips, quick tips, statistics, photos, news, industry resources, special offers and so much more.
2. Share information from other sources
Share what you find interesting and you will see your network grow with those that share the same interests. Share content from other websites, blogs, magazines, news outlets and other social media users. Remember, it’s about engaging your target audience. When you develop a reputation for providing interesting, useful content, even when it’s content from an outside source, you still benefit greatly.
3. Provide links
One of your goals should be to increase traffic back to your Web site or blog. You can do this by sharing compelling headlines alongside a link to further information on your site. You don’t need to include links with every post, but do distribute them often. Ever wonder how people get those tiny links? There are several link shortening service such as http://bit.ly, which shrinks long links.
4. Engage often
Commit to engaging as much as possible throughout the day, if that sounds like too much, try engaging at least once a day. Share a post first thing in the morning, then check in between meetings and at various intervals to respond to your audience, share new content and get engaged. Remember that your goal is to be a resource.
resource.