Facing the thoughts of sorting out my online my social media affairs seem like a daunting task. I am no expert in social media and I am always looking for new ways to approach and better my online abilities. Where does one start when learning the new language of social media? Finding a book to educate me on how best to approach social media for my business that won't be out of date before I finish it due to the rate of change within the fast paced forever evolving social media platforms can be a daunting task. Well, I believe I achieved just that when I came upon the website of one Nathalie Nahai who's book Webs of Influence looks beyond the actual social media platforms and teaches us about the psychology of online persuasion.
I am learning more about the concept of content marketing and it's importance within the world of blogging, posting, tweeting and liking. The thing that makes Nathalie's book stand out is her ability to demonstrate the importance of what you say, how you say it and who you say it to.
There is so much noise on each social media outlet; it can be quite hard to stand out. It can be hard to be heard and hard to sell. I am like many business people when it comes to social media. I know I have to be there because my customers are more than likely there. The problem is I don't always know what to say or how to participate. I had one leg in and the other out instead of just grabbing the bull by the horns and diving straight in. I was doing what I hated to see other businesses do: spamming people. I wasn't engaging correctly. I wasn't sure what to do in the alien world of tweets, re-tweets, likes, and posts until I read Nathalie's book. It acted as a guide walking me through the basic steps needed to create a healthy engagement with a targeted audience covering the impact of verbal and visual communication on all aspect of online contact.
Learning how to best manage social media and how to commuicate online should not be seen as something you do for a week or two and hope for the best. I believe plans need to be long term and goal oriented. Like an artist painting a picture they will paint and repaint and sometimes go back to the blank canvas in order to arrive at the masterpiece. Sometimes it takes months or even years to get these masterpieces perfect. They will never stop because it's not working; they keep working with it until it becomes something appealing. For your business to be noticed online you need to work and rework your learning strategy. You need to be in that space to have an impact. You need to be seen and heard. You need a continuously moving and changing approach as these platforms are always changing and moving. Today businesses are lucky to have huge no cost resources on line such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. These new points of distribution for businesses can be the tipping point needed for complimenting product campaigns and story's in the tradition medias.
My learning is simply keep learning. Keep reworking the plan. Your business is a work in progress that will become a masterpiece with the right online marketing strategy. Commitment to preparation, planning and promotion of your company brand online on continuous bases is fundamental to building a better business online. Therefore, learning to speak the right language for social media makes it For me, Nathalie gave me a starting point, an easy to follow signpost when it comes to building a presence and reputation online and communicating with customers and potential clients alike.