Social Media Failing You? Here’s What to Do

I recently had a colleague, whom I’d presented a Web PR plan a few months ago, come back to me to say she just wasn’t getting the clients she expected from her social media efforts. So what gives?

I really put some thought to her dilemma, because for me this stuff works great, and thought you could benefit from my suggestions to her, as well.

So if social media ain’t working, try these tips:
1) Start Twittering!
As I have uttered many a time, Twitter has pretty much taken all the other Web 2.0 tools I use and put them into overdrive. It’s a perfect way to choose your target audience (follow who you want to hear you and who you want to learn from) and promote your blog, your events, and overall position yourself as the expert you are.

2) Cross-promote.
All these things work best together, not as isolated entities. Link to your Facebook page on your blog. Promote your blog posts on Twitter and in your Facebook status. Ask people to follow you on Twitter on MySpace. Link to your blog on your YouTube Channel. You get the picture. The more you cross-promote, the bigger this stuff builds.

3) Put the pieces together.
Use programs like FriendFeed that help you manage all this stuff under one roof. Link to your YouTube channel, your RSS feeds, your podcast, your blog, your Facebook page, Twitter, blah, blah, blah, here and people can truly follow EVERYTHING you’re doing.

4) Make time for this stuff.
I know you all are not the type to just set up your profiles and never go there again, but I’m betting you’re still not spending enough time on a lot of these tools to seem like you’re really “present.” If you don’t seem present, people will stop paying attention to you. Set aside 45 minutes to an hour each day and dedicate yourself to engaging this stuff. It seems like a lot, but you want it to work, don’t you?

5) It goes both ways.
Want people to comment on your blog? Comment on theirs every so often. Be active and interact. Leave a note on someone’s Facebook wall, add a video comment to their YouTube video, be a fan of their Facebook page, write a positive recommendation on LinkedIn. I promise they’ll pay you back in spades. Listen and you will be listened to.

6) Check your stats.
Make sure you have some analytics tool like Google Analytics so you can check to see what’s working for you and what isn’t. If you’re getting loads of referrals everytime you post a blog entry in your Facebook status, keep doing that! Pay attention to what key words people are searching that send them to your page. Try to do more blog posts that use those words.

7) Remember this is a PR tool, not a sales tool.
So the goal here is really to build awareness and position yourself in a certain manner, not directly drive sales. That’s up to you. This stuff will drive people to your Web site, your blog, your Facebook profile, but once they get there it’s up to you to close the deal.

Got any other tips? Let me know if these work for you.