Social Media is a Business Within a Business

“How do I grow my followers?”
“How do I increase my engagement?”
“How do I make my posts go viral?”

As a B2B social media marketer and consultant, I inevitably get asked these questions. Before I get into any details, the first thing I say is “You have to hustle. Hustle, hustle, hustle.”

Social media is essentially a business within a business. Yes, it’s like Inception. Starting a business is a daily grind, and the same mentality needs to be applied to growing your social media presence. There are no shortcuts, no matter how much money you’re spending on ads. It’s about getting down to the basics. Engage in conversation. Actively listen and respond to feedback. Build relationships. That’s the hustle I’m talking about.

Last week, Ashton Kutcher said it best during Sage Summit ’16 in Chicago (you can stream online: http://bit.ly/2arv9W8)

“From a marketing perspective, if used right social media can be hugely valuable to a business. Marketers come up with these elaborate social media plans that generally fail at some point along the way because marketers have a tendency to forget that social media is actually a conversation where there’s a feedback loop. If you don’t account for the feedback loop within whatever your social media plan is, it tends to fall apart. If used effectively, it becomes a conversational marketing engine that can be extremely powerful.”

Engage in conversation. Actively listen and respond to feedback. Build relationships. That’s the hustle I’m talking about.

As I mentioned in this article, the brands that are most successful on social media have a distinct voice and personality to complement the conversation. It’s hard work, and the people who represent your brand on the front lines responding to feedback on a daily basis are your rock stars. Keep them happy. If they are happy, your customers — and potential customers — will be happy.

There is no quick fix to growing your social media numbers. Instead of trying to come up with the next big social marketing campaign, start a conversation. Be a helpful resource for your audience. Stop selling and promoting. Start commenting and sharing. Before you know it, the numbers will start to grow naturally.