Whether you are just testing the social media waters for the first time or you have been on Facebook and Twitter for years, we can bet you’d like to improve your social media marketing and the process of social media lead generation.

Regardless of the type of business you run and where it stands on the social media spectrum, there are a few very simple, yet very effective ways to get better results and improve your social media marketing.

1. Listen First

…and then talk. Isn’t it great how you can use social media to proactively find what your audience is discussing? All major concerns, problems and needs get shared online on a daily basis. For example, go on Twitter and use the advanced search to search for keywords that are related to your business. Some people will be complaining about a service they’ve received, others will be sharing ideas or looking for solutions to their business problems. Whatever it is, listen to your audience actively – find out what people are saying and choose the right time to offer your solutions.

2. Befriend the Big Names

Or to elaborate a bit – make sure you build relationships with people who have bigger audiences than you. You may have just signed up for a social media channel, however, don’t be afraid to jump right into the conversations. The experts in your field are the ones to focus on. Add them to a private Twitter list and actively engage with them and whoever they are talking to. This is a brilliant way to gain exposure and demonstrate your expertise. Make sure you are offering a productive contribution to those conversations, not just adding smiley faces and the generic “great!”. Soon enough, you will start getting retweeted and followed by more people.

3. Build Your Own Tribe

Another great way to get spotted on social media and gain good exposure for your brand is by starting conversations related to topics that directly affect your industry and responding to prospects’ questions. For example, your industry might not have an active LinkedIn group or Google+ community yet. Why not start your own group, based on location, and then invite others to join. This way you are adding one more ingredient to the marketing mix – leadership, which in itself is a very powerful form of marketing.

4. Avoid Spam

We’ve always thought this goes without saying, yet too many companies still use social media channels to bombard people with their messages – constantly! Remember that there are real people managing these accounts, so talk to them like you talk to real people and don’t spam.

5. Automated and Personal

Your social media activities can be both more automatic and more personal. How? It’s a fine balance between the two. There is a place for automated messages and you can schedule them with tools such as HootSuite and Tweetdeck. However, what you need to do after that is dedicate (at the very least) 15 minutes a day to respond to questions personally, to retweet and thank others. Social media is a tool that allows you to interact genuinely with customers in real time; do not miss this opportunity by scheduling all messages in bulk and then ignoring your social media accounts for days.

What tips do you follow to improve your social media marketing? Use the comment box below to share your experience with us. Or if you have yet to master the art of social media marketing, we can help with that.