Time is money, especially when you charge by the hour, but even when you don’t. “Free” social media applications don’t charge a setup or maintenance fee. But you can sure spend a lot of time setting up and maintaining all your online identities.
In other words, these expenditures of your precious working hours and brain cells are not without a cost. You know this. And you also know that your cost rises even higher when you add up what you didn’t earn in the time you wasted.
Yep, those are the scary facts of the clock, which echo the first point: time is money.
So how will you spend your time on social media? For starters: Be strategic in your messaging. Choose your platforms wisely. Repurpose your resources to spread your investment further. Next: keep these questions in mind.
Question #1: Who am I?
Sounds like somebody took a dip in the existentialism pool, but not really. As you develop your company’s message – and establish your credentials as an expert – you need to know who you are, what you stand for, what value you provide to customers, how your industry is important to the community and so forth. In other words, you need to create your narrative of “who I am, why I am here, how I help” and let this guide your development of content.
Also, planning your social media strategy will help you avoid draining resources. Just like an annual marketing plan keeps you from chasing every promotional idea that comes along during the year, your social media plan will help you know what to say and when to say it.
Planning could include creating an editorial calendar to guide you in the topics you plan to address. It could also involve setting aside a certain amount of time each week to maintain your social media connection.
Question #2: Who’s with me?
You can’t get your social media message out by yourself. In order to reach your friends, followers and connections, you need the right platform. So a big question is: which social media platform is right for your organization?
We start with the familiar names. For most contractors, Facebook and Twitter will be a good fit. LinkedIn – maybe if you have job postings. Instagram – not as likely, but perhaps useful if you have very visual products such as a lighting showcase or high-quality bathroom upgrades.
Blogs, podcasts and videos are also a form of social media and belong in your marketing toolbox. However, new social media is being developed all the time. You don’t have to jump on every bandwagon, but listen, observe and watch to see if the frenzy is based on a fad or a firm concept.
Question #3: Why are they here?
If you want to engage with consumers on social media, remember why they’re in these online communities. Except for your close relations, most consumers will connect with you for these reasons: To give feedback, get insider scoop, or get freebies and discounts.