6 Steps To The Perfect Social Media Strategy

I spend a lot of time blogging on the importance of different social media tools, rules and tips to improve your social media strategy. Today I wanted to write a blog that could give you a few core steps that you should include when devising your social media strategy.

Whether you want to increase leads, sales, visibility or (like most business owners) all of the above, make sure everything you do online and offline adheres to these six principles, that Dr. Robert Cialdini covers in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

1. Scarcity

Create exclusive offers on your Twitter and Facebook pages that provide enticing reasons to register, enroll or purchase immediately. Offers exclusively for current or past customers can be effective but one adding the element of scarcity is really your secret weapon. Groupon has a time ticker that shows you how many hours, minutes and seconds you have left to buy and it definitely encourages people to purchase sooner rather than later!

2. The Law of Reciprocity

Ya ya, I know. I talk about The Law of Reciprocity all the time. I have a good reason though…it works! Make sure you are monitoring social media conversations involving your brand, industry and products and taking every opportunity to answer questions and interact positively with others online. Pay attention to those who constantly interact with you and share your content and make the effort to go the extra mile for them to make them feel good about helping you in the future.

I just set up a Tribe on a site called Triberr where I’ve invited other social media professionals to join and we will all share each other’s valuable content. This is an example of reciprocity at work.

Related: The Power of the Law of Reciprocity In Social Media

3. Commitment To Consistency

Sum up exactly what you do for your target audience in one sentence and make sure that everything you do online resonates with that objective. It’s important to humanize yourself as much as possible consistently responding to people and engaging with them. Social media needs to be done consistently if you are going to have any success. Add a personal note to your posts so your audience knows the content you’re sharing is coming from a real person that is an expert in their field.

4. Position Yourself As An Authority

People want someone who is a leader in their industry before they decide to follow or listen to them. Blogging is one of the most simplest and most effective ways to position yourself as an expert online. Find out what problems your customers are experiencing and provide solutions in your blog posts. Are they going to trust a person who says they’re an expert or someone who shows them they’re an expert? I would encourage you to add blogging to your social media strategy.

5. Social Proof

Social proof is one of the most important components of influence online and is possibly the most crucial part of your social media strategy. Promote incentives for customers to leave reviews, comments and testimonials. Don’t just get them to leave reviews on your site, make sure they know to post comments on your social media sites also to get even greater social proof.

Related: Injecting Social Proof Into Your Social Media Strategy

6. Make It Likeable

If people don’t like your content, they won’t be inclined to share it. The more easy you make it for your audience to share your material, the further it will reach. Post things that your target audience can relate to so you can increase your odds of reaching their friends and connections through word-of-mouth.

Despite the thousands of different ways people make their social media strategy come together, these steps should be included to achieve the greatest level of success.

I hope this post has helped you. If so, please share by clicking the share buttons below. Want to know more about how to create a solid social media strategy? Post your comments and questions below.

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