Patience is a virtue
There’s no doubt about that. But in our world of instant gratification, we tend to forget that things take time.
Most recently, I’ve found that business owners are growing increasingly frustrated with social media and the not always immediate return of investment. So despite what some “social media experts” might lead you to believe, building a stable social presence takes time, effort and patience – like any normal relationship. Similar to how there is no magical potion to convince someone to fall in love with you, it is nearly impossible to speed up the formation of your online presence.
Let’s start with the fundamentals.
The point of social marketing, especially for businesses, is to establish brand loyalty. This means that customers trust you, value the content you are providing and consider you an expert in your field. In order to get to this point, we must accept a few key things:
1. Committing to social media is like getting married, you’re in it for the long haul (usually). Social media is not a quick-fix marketing solution. With the amount of information circulating around the World Wide Web, it can take a while for your company to reach the top. Big name companies like Petco and Applebee’s have been using Facebook since 2009 and they are still working to build client relationships!
2. Social media is most effective when you start small. While it might be helpful for SEO reasons to have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and anything else you can think of, it is nearly impossible to use them all and use them all well. Even with help from Old Town Media, a friend or family member, it takes even more time, effort and patience to keep each platform updated with relevant content.
3. The key to a successful relationship is communication. To create a strong social presence, it is equally important to interact with your customers and online communities as it is to post original content. Liking and commenting on other relevant posts will help your online voice be heard and hopefully lead new clients back to your social profiles and business. Still, it will take time for users to trust you as a reliable source.