Author: Hollie Clere

#RelationshipsMatter – What is a Micro-Influencer?

If you follow social media, then you are no doubt familiar with the role that social media influencers play. The short description is that social media influencers are people who affect the decisions of others to purchase certain products. Social media influencers have become so powerful that many are now celebrities and have millions of followers. There is another class of influencers that you should know about, and those are micro-influencers.

It’s a common misconception that to be a social media influencer; you have to have millions of followers. Of course, that doesn’t hurt, but there is a group of influencers who, like their more famous counterparts, are important: Micro-Influencers. These people have far fewer followers and aren’t celebrities. Instead, they are usually everyday people who hold influence in a niche. They may not have many followers, but the followers they do have are very engaged, and they trust the person to give them good advice on products and services.

For a small business, the big social media influencers may be out of reach, but it is possible to run a campaign using a micro-influencer who is active in your market. It will cost you some money, but it is possible.

Like all social media campaigns, you’ll need to develop a plan for how to use your micro-influencer. Map out what your goals and objectives are and the resources (money and time) you want to dedicate to the campaign, as well as how you will measure success. The big challenge will be finding the right influencers.

Finding a Micro-Influencer

  • Check your community: The perfect person may already be following you. Take a look at the people in your online community. Check their profiles to see how active they are and how many followers they have.
  • Do some Internet research: Look within the platforms you want to use by searching on relevant keywords.
  • Research your candidates: Once you have identified possible influencers, determine if they represent the image you want to portray, if they have sufficient engagement, and if they have worked with companies before.
  • Reach out: Email and direct message work best since they are private, but if worse comes to worst, you can use comments on their pages.

Locating and communicating with micro-influencers can be time-consuming and resource intensive. One good way to make your job easier is to turn to a professional. The Social Media Advisor is a great place to start. Their Social Media Analysis can help you ensure that when you undertake your influencer campaign, you target the right influencers and the right market. They can also make sure that your pages are optimized and your content is on target.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – How Your Tribe Influences Your Social Proof

When you think about how you use social media, do you think of it in terms of your social proof? Social proof is a concept that refers to the phenomena of people taking their lead from others. Social proof works the way it does because it’s human nature for us to assume that if other people approve of a product or service, then it’s probably OK for us too. That’s why testimonials and case studies are popular and effective marketing tools.

With that in mind, consider the influence the people in your own social media community have on getting the word out about you, your products, and your services. When it comes down to it, your community, or tribe as we like to call it, is pretty important when it comes to your social proof.

Your tribe includes all the people with whom you interact. Of course, that includes your customers. But it also includes your employees, your business partners, your vendors, and anyone else who is essential in contributing to your success. How effectively you engage with these groups of people is vital too in communicating to others that you are a trusted and credible source.

Effective use of social media is all about engagement, and engagement is essential in communicating that you are a trusted and credible source. That’s where your tribe comes in. When they give you their seal of approval, they are making an impact on your social proof.

There are many great ways to create content that will engage your community and help to strengthen your social proof. Reviews, employee profiles, testimonials, and how-to videos are great examples. But no matter what the content is, you should strive for it to be positive, consistent, and carry a message that is in line with your objectives for your brand.

If you are having trouble deciding where to start when it comes to using social media to enhance your social proof, a good first step is to take an audit of your content and view it from the perspective of the members of your community. What message does it send? Does it communicate your authority and credibility? How effective is it in getting actual engagement?

An even better way to get a quick start is to take advantage of The Social Media Advisor’s Social Media Analysis. You’ll get the benefits of an outside perspective from someone who knows the business and can offer cost-effective, actionable suggestions for how you can make both short and long-term improvements. So what are you waiting for? Let’s make the most of your social proof!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#RelationshipsMatter – Who is in Your Tribe?

Deciding how much of your limited resources to dedicate to social media can be a difficult decision. It’s clear that you need to be doing something, but it’s not enough to simply throw up some posts, and off you go. To use social media to grow your business, you need to incorporate strategy into your social media. That means that you’ll have a reason for what you do, what platforms you take advantage of, and what kind of content you post.

You may not have given much thought to the people who are in your social media network, but you should. The people you connect with regularly are your tribe. In other words, they are your community, the people who make you successful. So if you don’t have a good idea of who these people are and what makes them unique, now is the perfect time to learn more about them, strengthen your relationships, and show your gratitude.

So now that you’ve decided that this is the right time to learn more about your tribe and let them know how much you appreciate them, let’s talk about how you might go about that.

  • Ask them – Face it, these aren’t just your social media contacts; they are the people that help you do what you do, and you need to know as much about them as you can. If you feel like you don’t know enough about your tribe, then reach out. Once you know more, you can make decisions about what you post on social media to give your tribe what they need to make their jobs (and lives) easier.
  • Talk to them – Effective use of social media is all about engagement, and to be engaged you need to have interactive exchanges. It’s not enough to post content; comment, reply, and talk with your community.
  • Say thank you – When you show gratitude to the members of your community, you let them know how important they are to you. There are many ways to show your appreciation, not the least of which is to simply say thank you.
  • Share with them – Of course, you need to share content, but you can also share your influence by passing along information about them, the content they have produced, or other information that can help them succeed.
  • Be consistent – Your community needs you to be consistent. That means you have a plan, and to make sure your message stays the same no matter what platform you are using.

Engaging with your tribe effectively takes planning and execution. If you aren’t already doing this well, then it is probably a good idea to consult with a professional. The Social Media Advisor can help. Their social media analysis can jump start your effort and help ensure that you are taking the right steps in getting to know your tribe and strengthening your relationship with all the members of your community.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#SocialMediaStrategy – Can I Grow My Business by Incorporating Strategy in Social Media?

Deciding how much of your limited resources to dedicate to social media can be a difficult decision. It’s clear that you need to be doing something, but it’s not enough to simply throw up some posts, and off you go. To use social media to grow your business, you need to incorporate strategy into your social media. That means that you’ll have a reason for what you do, what platforms you take advantage of, and what kind of content you post.

When social media is powered by strategy, it can do a lot to help you grow your business. Here are five key ways that social media strategy can help you grow.

  • Generate Leads: One of the key ways that social media can help you grow is by increasing your business leads. Remember, the whole point of social media is to help you increase visibility and strengthen relationships. When you are successful at doing this, you’ll get more (and better) leads and in turn, generate more sales.
  • Drive Website Traffic: Whether you sell products online or use your website to ensure that customers have the information they need about your products and how to buy them, social media can be a valuable tool in getting people to access your website.
  • Improve Your Brand Recognition and Customer Service: Social media users are active and vocal. Having a strong social media presence gives you access to the giant megaphone of satisfied customers.
  • Strengthen Relationships: To be successful on social media, you have to produce content that doesn’t just get follows and likes, but fosters genuine engagement. That means shares and comments. Moreover, remember engagement is a two-way street so that you will be interacting with your audience as well. In doing so, you can grow strong bonds with your customers. That means they are more likely to return to you when they have needs and more likely to bring others along with them.
  • Bolster All Your Marketing Efforts: Social media is a powerful companion to other elements of marketing. You can use it to build your email marketing list, better understand your customers, and generate word-of-mouth advertising.

If you aren’t sure how to incorporate strategy into your social media or need help getting started, the Social Media Advisor can help. Its Quarterly Strategy Road Map Development program can jump start your efforts and help ensure you are on the right track. You’ll get a comprehensive introduction to the strategy tools you need as well as practical, tactical information to help you make the most of your efforts. Now is the perfect time to get started. So let’s get strategic and start growing!

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

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