Social Marketing Success in 60 Minutes or Less

You can build your business, find new leads and create conversions on the three most influential social media networks in just 60 minutes or less per day. Connect with a vast social audience by using Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to engage your audience and advertise your small business.

Facebook

Facebook’s Timeline layout and integrated apps help you create a compelling, interactive community for your followers. If you haven’t already, you should choose a creative and relevant cover photo and profile picture for your business Timeline. You should also create tabs that showcase your newsletter sign-up, product or services list, and coupons. Free or paid applications like Lujure, Pagemodo or Wildfire can help you establish these tabs with little technical know-how.

Once your page is established, you can engage your audience in as little as 15 minutes per day with these best practices:

• Keep posts shorter than 250 characters to achieve 60% greater engagement.
• Pin a photo to the top of your timeline that points fans to your tabs.
• Schedule one or several messages per day. The peak time for sharing on Facebook is 12 EST while traffic is its highest midweek between 1-3 pm EST.
• Limit yourself to one marketing message for every nine informational, entertaining and/or engaging posts. Ask questions with short or fill-in-the-blank answers to drive discussions.
• Respond to comments quickly. Be polite and professional at all times.
• Comment on other pages (as your page) to drive new traffic to your page.

Twitter

Twitter is focused on engagement, not presentation. Short posts and few customization options make Twitter an excellent place to find new leads, engage new clients and offer customer service.

Tweet your way to success with these Twitter tips and tricks:

• Send a direct message to one follower per day. It can be a simple “Thank you for following us!” or a follow-up to a previous purchase or conversation. The important thing is to reach out to a potential customer.
• Update frequently since Tweets have short lifespans. Post several times per day (or even per hour). Use a program like HootSuite to schedule Tweets throughout the day.
• Tweet a mixture of interesting links, quotes, links to your website, life updates, re-tweets and other relevant information for your followers.
• Answer questions and engage in conversations related to your industry to build awareness and find new followers. Respond to all mentions of your business professionally and politely.
• Follow at least five more people every day. Often, people you follow will follow your account in return.

Google+

Google+ blends the presentation power of Facebook with the engagement focus of Twitter, making it a powerful marketing platform. You can make the most of your Google+ experience with these marketing tips:

• Search Google+ for industry-related terms to find opportunities to comment on, share and +1 other people’s posts. This exposure is essentially free advertising for your page.
• Publish a piece of interesting content, such as an image or recent blog post.
• Add interesting and relevant people to your Google+ circles.
• Expand your circles even further by inviting friends, family, Facebook fans and Twitter followers to join you on Google+.
• Use Google+ Hangouts and Events to engage and expand your audience.

Expanding your Google+ circles is important. Google Search now integrates Google+ connections to create personalized search results, so someone who is connected to you on Google+ is more likely to see your content on the first page of search results.

How it Helps Your Business

Social media marketing gets your business in front of an audience and allows you to engage your audience on a personal level. It’s an opportunity your business can’t afford to miss. Even if you can only dedicate an hour or less per day to social media, you’ll find that it’s well worth the investment.