Thankfully we all managed to divert the end of the world but regular problems are still on our plates. New tricks have now just got a year older and your target market is catching on to your new games. What tweaks need to be made for success with your social media strategy in 2013?
We decided to ask 8 social media experts what they think is going to be the most important things to focus on in the New Year when promoting your business online. Here’s what they came up with:
1. From ‘Me’ To ‘We’
Businesses will need to focus on other people to stand out. It is no longer about ‘me’ it is about ‘we’. The more you support and help others, the more your business, following and opportunities will grow.
If you start 2013 asking yourself, “How can I help others get to where they want to go faster?” or “How can I make this person’s life easier with my knowledge and expertise?” Instead of…”How can I increase my profits and bottom line in 2013?” You will find a complete shift in your client and customer’s engagement, create a magnetic attractiveness to you, your business and your expertise which will ultimately result in your compounding success in 2013.
Think ‘WE’ not ‘ME’ and you will do well.
– Pam Brossman, Founder of Social Media Woman Magazine
2. Content Is King But Context Is The Holy Grail
Listen, listen, listen. Stop pushing and start listening within social media. 2013 is the year that business owners will have to put on their big boy pants and have a dedicated social media strategy. It’s no longer a debatable option in your marketing mix. Social media is a cultural shift, not a marketing option.
Content will always be king but context is the Holy Grail. Paying attention to the interaction and engagement with your consumer so you build context for your marketing is the only way to truly succeed in 2013. Marketing campaigns are dead. Contextually marketing to your brand advocate is a home run.
2013 will be the breakout year for social media – meaning that even small business will finally allocate a budget to social, They will also work with service providers that were only servicing large businesses to help them excel in social media – app developers, community managers etc. If you’re not doing social media you won’t exist.
- Chris Dessi, CEO of Silverback Social
3. Have A Best Client Analysis
Business owners need to have a BEST CLIENT analysis in 2013. If their best client is a Fortune 1000 CEO, Facebook is not their best space. That analysis can then become a social strategy for what networks to be on and what to do once they get there. Without that, it’s likely that they’re dancing in the dark.
The most important component of any social media strategy in 2013 is to be fresh and provide VALUE. Without providing true value, nobody will click through.
Here’s the truth, 95% of your audience will not buy anything and that has nothing to do with you so give great content and support in whatever way you can. That builds your brand. The other 5% WILL work with you, and at really high levels, so what you give freely won’t impact those sales – THOSE sales are higher. Way higher.
- Mary Agnes Antonopoulos, CEO of Rockaway Writer
4. Add a CRM To Your Social Media Strategy
There is so much noise on social media these days. There are spammy tweets, yucky sales pitches on Facebook, as well an “investment opportunity” InMails on LinkedIn. But there is also really good noise – free webinars and amazing posts – and it all blends in together. So now more than ever, it’s important to have a really good CRM (customer relationship management) system in place.
Engaging and keeping up with key relationships has always been and will continue to be the most important thing a business persona can do! Find a customer relationship management tool that works for you. Whether it be ConnectedHQ.com, Salesforce, do.com, it doesn’t really matter. Just find one that works for you and use it to stay in touch with those key influencers, key clients and gateway people that can help you not only stay in business but also excel at it.
- Viveka Von Rosen, Author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour A Day
5. Get Visual & Connect With Influencers
Business owners should take a look at their branding and make sure how they represent themselves online is visually appealing. With sites like Pinterest and Instagram rising to the top of social media charts faster than any other, and Facebook putting images at the forefront of timelines, businesses will stand out if they incorporate appealing images consistently.
Using influencer marketing strategies is going to be the most effective direction for businesses to incorporate into their social media marketing. Every business must consider how to connect deeply with key market influencers and engage them.
- Laura Rubinstein, President TransformToday.com and SocialBuzzClub.com
6. Direct Engagement vs. Indirect Content
Business owners need to create more intimate and trustworthy relationships with their potential markets. Establish thought leadership and get inside the circle of trust. Achieve this through tools like LinkedIn networking and groups.
I believe businesses will move to direct engagement strategies vs. indirect content strategies in 2013. Social platforms will continue to push advertising as the method through which businesses can communicate to their market but this will continue to become more and more targeted and interactive between company and prospective client/customer.
- Nate Kievman, CEO of The Linked Strategies Group
7. What’s Your Strategy?
The most important component of every social media strategy in 2013 is to really have a well thought out strategy. Many businesses believe their strategy is to post once a day to Twitter and Facebook, but your strategy must be more comprehensive than this. If you want to have results with social media then you will need to determine the goals and objectives you’d like to achieve and ensure that you have a plan in place to achieve them.
Not every social network is for every business and you need to determine where you will get the best results. The biggest suggestion I have is to stop wasting time on things that aren’t working and come up with a plan to use social media that aligns with your businesses’ unique goals.
- Melonie Dodaro, Founder of Top Dog Social Media
8. The Real Currency of Social Media
Realize that it’s not about the numbers. Really realize it and make it a practice to build relationships–relationships are the new currency, they will propel your brand if you nurture them properly. Invest in the people, not the technology.
The most important component of every social media strategy in 2013 will be true conversation and making sure that your brand messages are based on what your customers want and need – not what you think is important.
- Kathryn Rose, Award winning author, speaker and social media strategist
How do you plan to supercharge your social media strategy in 2013? Let us know in the comments below!
http://topdogsocialmedia.com/2013-social-media-strategy/
author: Melonie Dodaro
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