Last week I blogged on The 3 Types Of Social Media Users that often approach us for Training

This week I wanted to delve further into the ways businesses use Social Media and what Social Media isn’t…

Social Media is not ….. a Newsletter

2 things to remember – Social Media feeds move so fast (and are getting more cluttered as more people sign up) and Social Media is about building relationships and engagement

That is why Social Media should not be treated like a newsletter that you jump into once a week, post a link to your latest news story or blog and then jump back out again for another week

Admittedly this is a Social Media crime normally committed by the larger corporate types, but we see a lot of Small Businesses do the same

I’ve always said Social Media is something that should be done daily and done often, dipping in and out through the day to engage.

While I think Mashable’s recent headline grabbing article on Managing Your Social Media in just 10 minutes A Day is slightly off the mark, with training it can be done in 30 minutes a day effectively.

Social Media is not ….. a Business Card

You go to a networking meeting. You chat to a few people and you exchange business cards. And then if you’re like me – they get placed on the desk and the next day you pick up a card and remember the conversation you had and follow up.

That’s how business cards work. They help connect the memories of the physical meeting and have all the essential contact details on.

Now when it comes to Social Media – a HUGE amount and when i say HUGE I mean HUUUGGGGEEEEE amount of businesses treat Social Media as just a chance to broadcast details of their business card instead of having a conversation

I’ve touched on this briefly on Why are the most talkative sectors offline so bad at Social Media engagement? blog before

But Social Media isn’t just an opportunity to broadcast your jobtitle or service you offer and a phone number – people want and they definitely deserve more than that!

Businesses that don’t care enough to talk to others not only lose my respect, they often lose my custom as well

Social Media is not ….. a leaflet

I always search what’s going on in my local town on twitter. Do it now – you will probably find something or somebody you don’t know!

But do you know what’s annoying when I do that

When I see the same spammy message 30 times from a local business saying “@XXXX thanks for following. Please check out our website www.spam.com #altrincham ”

Twitter followers need to be treated with respect and treated as individuals rather than as a passer-by that you hand the same leaflet to

Honestly – ask yourself are you really too busy to not take the time to personalise a message and take interest in those who care enough to follow you?

Social Media is ….. Infinite and All Possibilities

While there are many ways you should not be using Social Media

Every single business is different and your strategy should be unique to get the most out of it and stand out from the competition

The only limits are how you use it and the time you choose to spend on it to gain the best ROI

If you’d like to book on a 121 Social Media Training Session for your business please call us on 07806 774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk

Altrincham Hq

“With over 12 years experience of Social Media and 17 years experience of online marketing in other companies, clients come to myself when they want a veteran rather than a rookie” Alex McCann