Most of us are familiar with using social media, whether it’s for connecting with friends and family or finding out more about a company or celebrity. We may therefore be lulled into a false sense of security when we decide to use one or all of the social networking platforms to generate more traffic for our own business.
If you want to use social media as a sales tool however there are fundamental issues you need to know regarding marketing practices, especially if you are going to invest in paid forms of advertising through the social channels. One of the best ways to gain a clear understanding of business and marketing strategies is to undertake a degree. The good news is that while this used to be a full-time undertaking you can now fit a part-time course around your business, other paid work or even family commitments.
Once you have a strong grounding in marketing what is the best way to develop your social media skills?
Learning through Experimentation
Many of us dive in and explore this option. First because it is free and second because we believe it can’t be that difficult to get started. While we may muddle our way through creating our social media profiles, what we forget is that some guidance on how to set them up to best effect would get us off to a better start. In addition, setting up your profiles is only the first step you then have to update them consistently with content which will engage your audience; encourage readers to interact; and finally entice your followers to take a look at what you offer in terms of products and services.
Also, while we may feel this option is free it can in the long run end up costing us a great deal. This is because we have to invest so much of our time and we may also lose potential new customers because our content is not attracting traffic quickly enough.
Attend a Course Run by a Social Media Expert
There is a multitude of courses run by social media experts, both online and in your local community. While these can definitely provide a framework on which to build your marketing strategy it is important to remember that one course won’t provide you with everything you need to know long term. This is partly because social media is constantly evolving and because your knowledge will need to increase over time as you try out new strategies.
However, a course can help you get off to a good start. When you are choosing a tutor ensure you carry out thorough research to make sure they truly are an expert in their field by looking at their own social media profiles and those of clients they have worked with. Also look at their testimonials and see whether they are used to working with business owners at your level of experience. Above all ensure that any teacher is able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
Learn From Online Experts
The last option, and probably the best over the longer term, is to take time to learn from others across the web, people who have already built successful social media followings.
There are thousands of bloggers and social media sites which offer advice on developing your social media skills. By learning from these people you can progress at your own pace. So when you are first starting out you will need beginner tips and then as your knowledge grows you can utilise more advanced strategies. As outlined above the internet and social media in particular is not a static landscape. Therefore, as changes are made by the social media networks, or when new platforms such as Periscope are introduced, you need to keep up to date so that your profiles remain effective.
Financially this is also the best option as there is no initial outlay, apart from your time spent studying, and at least you know what you are learning can be implemented immediately and will take your marketing strategy in the right direction. Again it’s important to carr
out due diligence to ensure you are learning from sites which can demonstrate their own success.
Which Method Should You Choose?
The first of these three options is probably not the way you want to go if your aim is to be successful relatively quickly. Options two and three both offer advantages when you are first starting out, but option three will carry you through and allow your knowledge to evolve as your business grows. This is definitely the path to take for long term success.
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1PM2vhy via transformational marketing
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1YNN1jg
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