Maximize Your Social Media ROI

Like almost all Solopreneur consultants I engage in social media for professional reasons, but I have yet to obtain a consumer solely through social media interactions Neiva Mara. My business is 100% referral, since basically no one hires business strategists or marketing consultants without a personal endorsement. Nevertheless, I must maintain appearances and so I keep my profile who is fit and post relevant updates to help keep things fresh.

The experts say that like all marketing campaigns, what and the manner in which you communicate through social media must appropriately reflect your brand and interest current and prospective clients. To achieve the specified return on investment, it's imperative to deliver the right message to the right sites. To perform that, you must know the customer. Who hires you and what sort of social media might they trust and follow?

To greatly help define which social media platforms to focus on, begin with the age bracket of your prospects. Are they under 35 years of age? If that's the case, they are more apt to be very comfortable with a wide variety of social media. They're likely to own a smart phone, tablet and laptop computer. They could very well create and copiously share online content in their personal and professional lives.

Conversely, if your typical clients are 40+ years of age, they are less apt to be heavily associated with social media and much less inclined to create content. They own a smart phone, they regularly make use of a computer and they might also own a product, but should they decide to share content, it's most likely produced by someone else.

Social media marketing expert Judith Lewis says that about 20% of social media users are High Sharers and about 80% are Low Sharers. High Sharers are almost 3 x as likely as Low Sharers to recommend products or services to those in their network. Therefore, it's wise to create content that will interest High Sharers, who is going to do some "e-legwork" in your behalf and raise your online ROI.

Lewis has identified seven forms of High Sharers and explains how their sharing style could be leveraged to target and engage clients and prospects. Give the list a read and observe how you may tweak your message and perhaps vary the sites you utilize:

Altruists

Altruists share content out of a desire to greatly help those in their network. They respond well to appeals made through email and Facebook. Altruists make up the largest percentage of social media users.

Selectives

This group shares information if they think it is likely to be ideal for a specific individual and they often use email to share that information. Selectives comprise the next largest percentage of social media users.

Passionates

Passionates share information with those that share their intense interest in confirmed topic, cause, band, fashion designer or whatever. This group frequently uses Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. Moreover, they are big contributors to customer review sites.

Connectors

As their name describes, this group likes bringing people together to socialize or do business. Connectors tend to use numerous social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

Trendspotters

This type uses social media sites to show the world that they're on the bleeding edge of the latest trends. Trendspotters are compelled to create their credibility and they are busy working many platforms. YouTube, Instagram, Delicious, Vine, Twitter and Facebook are favorites. Trendspotters can be quite ideal for B2C ventures seeking to increase visibility and sales, especially in fashion, electronics and baby products.

Provocateurs

Bloggers often belong to this category (but not your humble diarist). Provocateurs like to complete just that---be controversial, cheeky and outrageous and obtain a rise out their readers. In addition to their blog, these folks have a tendency to favor YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

Careerists

This group will use social media networking almost just for business purposes. They favor LinkedIn, but will use Twitter, YouTube and Facebook as needed, to effectively share information regarding their business enterprise or career.

As a postscript, I will say that I don't know any Solopreneurs who've successfully monetized their social media relationships. Still, creating buzz will never hurt your business. If you're able to have on the radar screen of a High Sharer who will post an excellent recommendation for your services, it could help convince someone who is on the fence to proceed and offer you the contract.