Watch What You Say!

Social media plays a variety of different roles for different people, but when you start to utilize these different channels for marketing your business, it becomes a whole different ball park. Suddenly, you begin to realize that the mundane tweets about what you ate for breakfast, or your trite Facebook status updates asking what your friends are up to for the weekend, won’t contribute much to your company (and frankly, could tarnish your company’s image if you are not careful with what you choose to disclose)!

I’m not saying that the occasional quip here and there about your day is completely taboo—in some contexts it’s even great to throw in something personal about yourself to add a human dimension to an otherwise faceless account. But, to take full advantage of social media for your business, you need to rethink the way you talk to your audience.

Everything you do and say through social media should be done with prudence and care. Think about your business and your audience; what are you selling, and whom are you selling to? What kinds of original and fresh content can you deliver through your Facebook that would be meaningful to your customers, that can help them to better understand your business or be more educated about your industry?

It’s not easy, and it shouldn’t be. Crafting real, relevant content is somewhat of an art form, and delivering it successfully through social media channels takes time and knowledge. Many people have become so accustomed to self promoting on social networks without any real filter that they don’t even know how to think in terms of an audience anymore.

So take some time, sit back and think about what you really want to say to your audience. Develop content that is original, relevant, meaningful and informative, and, if done right, you’ll see that people will begin to notice you and your business, too.