14 Tactics For Social Media Optimization

Achieve your marketing goals with these 14 tactics for social media optimization.

• Brainstorm and design a business plan and/or marketing strategy.
• Align that plan with social media goals and objectives to achieve clear, measurable results for your target audiences/key influencers. (Think about your resources.)
• Apply the SMART rule: all objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
• Commit the time to have ongoing and consistent social media activity. If your social media channels go stale, people automatically associate that with your brand. (Hootsuite is an exceptional tool that can help maximize your time and organize your social media platforms.)

• Use visuals in your social media posts. A picture or video is worth a thousand words. With Pinterest and Tumbler now becoming the hottest new platforms, people want content that’s easy on the eyes and less to read to get the point across.
• Don’t make “salesy” posts. People want info to make their own purchases. But want to think that it’s their idea. Consider the style, language, and tone you want to convey to your consumers.
• Publish original, authentic, content in LinkedIn. Raise your profile ranking by interacting with relevant social groups and initiating thought-provoking conversations. As a social media network, LinkedIn is becoming more and more popular. Successful entrepreneurs and hot shots like Bill Gates publish content on LinkedIn.
• Engage frequently with consumers. Interactive content will always surpass static content. Companies should ask themselves, “Is this shareable?” A call to action is needed for more SMO. You should focus on fans you have. Not fans you want. If you’re too busy trying to reach an audience that isn’t aligned with your brand, your committed, true fans will get bored and lose interest.
• Initiate and maintain positive customer/client relationships. If your clients stay happy, that can easily be the best form of organic brand reputation management. Social media can also be a great supplement to make keep this going. I.E. Create a hashtag around a certain event to drive conversation, promote a fun contest or sweepstakes across relevant platforms, or retweet clients’ Twitter posts,blogs, etc.
• Monitor your competition often to see what works for them. However, don’t make a habit of being one step behind. The most successful companies are “movers and shakers” and are willing to try things that challenge the norm.
• Maximize your companies strengths. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box to stand out amongst the “noise.” Do your research to capture innovative, creative, and unique ideas.
• Take advantage of social media’s paid tools to get a leg up on the competition. Brands who are willing to pay will be the most successful in the long run. ex) Facebook’s advanced audience tool. If you aren’t convinced you should pay, try using these free helpful social media tools: Social Mention, Twitter Search, Google Blog Search, Google Alerts, Google Analytics
• Utilize Google+. It’s a platform that you must pay attention to (Google will take over the world) and place where like-minded consumers can interact with each other and build a strong community base.
• Increase your website’s ROI/SEO by integrating all your marketing platforms together. Use social media, but also don’t neglect PR press releases, newsletters, and even word of mouth can be extremely powerful and persuasive. The main thing to remember is to keep your content fresh and up to date.

FYI: this article originally appeared on our blog here.