Blogger's Block
Managing your social media efforts in-house is all fine and dandy if you’ve got the resources to make it happen. And once you’ve got those resources in place and trained up, there’s no limit to all the blogging and posting and tweeting that will ensue in the name of connecting with your audience. Or is there?
Like many companies embarking on the road of social media, you may find that you have lots to share at first while your blog is new and your motivation to ‘engage’ is high. But what happens when you hit the wall for content, when you feel you have nothing to write about? Knowing that frequency is key, you’re suddenly in a panic to produce something relevant. What now?
First of all, remember who is in charge of content. Sure, you’re posting it, but unlike with traditional marketing which is planned and pushed to consumers, social media content is truly steered by your audience. So rather than trying to figure out what you want to tell your followers, think about responding to what they want.
It doesn’t have to be breaking news, it just has to be relevant. You can start simply by answering questions you’ve received. If one person has taken the time to send an inquiry, you can be sure there are others wondering about the same thing, so create a series of blogs, written and/or on video, based on answers to your frequently asked questions. Demonstrate what you know. And consider empowering other members of your organization to contribute as well. Put yourself in the shoes of a new customer or client and create ‘answers’ to questions you expect you’d ask. This approach will generate numerous blogs for you and enable you to connect with your audience in an immediately relevant way.
Another direction is to share compelling articles or industry news you’ve come across—your personalized version of ‘recommended reads’ and always crediting your source. This, too, will be meaningful to your audience, and could well position you as a spokesperson in your field and lead to even more exposure. Be selective with what you share and respect your audience’s time. If you come across a few worthy items, stagger the intervals at which you post them so they’re easier to digest.
Whatever you do, schedule time to blog regularly and respond to any comments you generate. Once you’ve got momentum, it’s important to maintain it.
To read more on this topic, I’d recommend Small Business Social Media Case Studies, a downloadable PDF report called Generating Small Business Customers With Social Media Marketing at http://www.hubspot.com/internet-marketing-whitepapers/
