If you are a UK-based business like us, then you most probably didn’t get the chance to visit the one event that everyone working with social media should have visited – Social Media Marketing World, or the mega conference, held in San Diego two months ago. However, we have managed to scan the attendees and collect some of the best advice for you. So grab your notebook and write down what the social media experts have suggested. What makes these ideas worth spreading is the fact that they are all actionable.

Prepare for Social Media Changing the World

Also called social displacement, it might be a matter of view point, but what is clear is that social media has been changing entire industries in recent years. This online disruption is a result of the rapid growth of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Statistics show a few things: people prefer to send a Facebook message than send an email; asking for recommendations, information and advice is easier and often more accurate than searching for them; listening to podcasts is replacing the radio faster than anyone could have predicted. Not convinced yet? One recent survey measured that 76% of people who use social media feel good about it. There cannot be a stronger reason for using social media than that.

Connect By Giving Value

Nowadays businesses and individuals can connect with just about anybody, but this is not enough for ensuring the success of a brand, product of service. In order to truly connect with others you need to be ready to give freely, provide valuable information, communicate openly and follow up regularly. The more value you add, the more you will receive. This is the key to building powerful connections.

Invest in Great Content Managers to Reach Your Facebook Audience

The already classic quote that “content is king, but engagement is queen” is more powerful and applicable than ever. Make sure that you invest in a community manager who is passionate about Facebook page management, communication and finding fresh content on a regular basis. The person you invest in will be the one presenting your brand to the world of social media and the one responsible for engaging with its fans.

Optimize your Social Channels to Build an Audience

Social media websites, like Twitter and Facebook are the perfect platforms for many businesses to build relationship and generate lead. Place social ads that promote your content, retweet relevant information, create fresh content and use calls to action. Remember that sharing and retweeting generate a bigger audience and a more targeted one. But how do you get retweeted? Simply create content that stands out and write tweets that grab the attention of readers.

Awaken the Giant Within

One of the “sleeping giants” of today’s content marketing is SlideShare. This tool can help you grow your email list significantly. You should include an optional registration (a call to action of its kind) in the middle of the presentation you create. Ask people to sign up for a letter or like your Facebook and Twitter pages.

Have a B2B Brand? Facebook-ize it!

There are too many B2B brands that are great at marketing, but cannot reach to a Facebook audience and target the right people with the right content. What should you do if your brand is one of those? Take the time to answer these 6 key questions:

• What is it that you sell?
• Who are your buyers?
• What is unique about your buyers?
• What is their lifestyle?
• What other things do your buyers like and buy?
• Are you empowering dreams and what are they?

After the initial brainstorming, you have to put all that into compelling copy and images. Having engaging ideas and understanding what your audience loves and dreams of is the secret spice to social media success.

Get People to Talk About and Buy Your Products

If you are one of those marketers who know the basics of creating content and using social media, but you have a writer’s block, your content won’t go far. Make use of the following five social triggers which can ensure that your content has a direct impact on your sales and subscribers.

• Use redirection: Introduce a relevant scenario about somebody else that your audience can relate to and thus accept your message. The key is not to make your readers want to defend their position.
• Use contrast: One of the keys to fast success is simply making sure that you stand out. If your message stands out in terms of wording, images and colours, your brand will be remembered. Play with words to arouse emotions – sometimes a controversial message can go viral just because it’s unexpected and new.
• Use stories: Avoid facts – they are hard to remember and hard to respond to. Tell stories instead – readers can empathize with a story and then follow your call of action.
• Use signaling: If you want people to share your content, consider what kind of content it is. If it’s negative, they might be reluctant to share it with their friends. Remember that people share in order to convince others (and themselves) that they are who they wish to be.

Deliver Real Metrics

The social media ROI that matters isn’t how big the Twitter following is or the number of Facebook fans. The measurable results that count are revenue, cost and sales – how much of the social media work that you do actually generates money and builds a solid client list. Here are some of the factors that are being measured:

• Brand awareness: The number of impressions, the engagement of followers, the likes and retweets, etc.
• Lead generation: Leads, sales and conversion, subscriptions, downloads, etc.
• Customer retention: Managing to keep a customer and comparing a social media one to a non-social media one.

Opt for Facebook Results

It doesn’t matter which industry you are working in, you can still obtain great results from Facebook interaction. Here are some useful tips and tricks:

• Respond quickly.
• Give tips to the fans.
• Provide real-time customer support.
• Understand the community – needs, background, etc.
• Give unique content – plenty of it!
• Track what works and what doesn’t work.
• Ask the fans for advice in terms of content.
• Use Facebook ads.

Launch New Products on Facebook via email

The email list you have can be the single, most powerful profit-generating resource that you use. Within Facebook or on your website, create a signature promotional giveaway – people would like to sign up for your newsletter when you do that. The SPG has to be free, accessible and of good quality – live webinar, e-book, video series, training program, coupon, etc. How do you drive traffic to the SPG? Create a featured blog post which focuses on the giveaway; use compelling images to draw people’s attention; make a short promotional video and upload it on Facebook. These are all strategies that work!

Don’t Waste Time on Facebook

Time spent on social media is usually rewarding for any business, but don’t forget that social media platforms are extremely time-consuming. It’s important to have a clear strategy and schedule and stick to them. Here are some of the best ones:

• Keep editorial calendar for Facebook posts.
• Post at the best time (based on your community).
• Keep and activity calendar.
• Create plenty of Facebook content when you have spare time and use it later (use posts scheduling).
• Have a Facebook content manager to help you with the community.