9 ways to stay top of mind with your contacts on social media

22nd, Apr 2020

Social media is most successful as a marketing tool for professionals when you use it to build and maintain a relationship with your contacts. To do that, you need to be helpful and actively engage with your contacts. Occasionally posting something or clicking “like” doesn’t cut it. Instead, follow these suggestions to help you stay top of mind in a meaningful way:

1. Check notifications regularly. This area, typically at the top of your social media pages, provides information on your contacts’ birthdays, anniversaries, and postings. It also lets you know who liked/commented/reshared your posts, mentioned you in a post, and viewed your profile. Pay attention to this information and reach out to that person with an appropriate message.

2. React to their posts. If your contact has posted something, at a bare minimum like it. However, that is not as valuable as commenting. Adding a comment draws greater attention to both of you than a simple like.

3. Affirmatively ask them for content. Reach out to contacts to see if they have any articles or tips that might be helpful to your audience and offer to share it through your network.

4. Create joint content. Many of us have contacts with complementary businesses that target the same audiences for marketing and business development that we do. Speak with those contacts about what you can do together.

5. Respond to comments to your posts. If someone made a substantive comment, respond in the comment field. Depending on the nature of the comment, you may also want to contact them privately to discuss it further.

6. Offer to give recommendations/reviews on social media. We all want them but often forget to ask. Reach out to referral sources, colleagues, vendors, and clients to provide them with a recommendation or review. Most will reciprocate without being asked but you can also request one for yourself. We all need to help each other.

7. Post helpful content. The key here is to make sure what you are posting is useful or interesting to your audience. You want them to see you as a resource. You can post your own original content. This includes written and visual content such as blog posts, articles, tips, videos, graphics, photos, podcasts, presentations, and PowerPoints. In addition, share third party content. This can be information from individuals and organizations you don’t know personally but consider reputable or it can be content from your contacts as discussed above.

8. Host an event. Everyone is participating in virtual networking and webinars these days. LinkedIn and Facebook let you create public and private events. However, even without using them, you can use social media to send invitations to selected contacts as well as promote your event publicly to connect with new people.

9. Help nonprofits. Many nonprofits are struggling. If you have a cause or organization you support, you can share some of their postings. It benefits the nonprofits but also resonates with your other contacts who may also want to help and puts you in a positive light.

Some people treat social media as the equivalent of going to an event, handing out your business card to everyone in the room and then hoping they will reach out even though you never speak to them again. That is not a good way to network in person or on social media. Make sure you stay in touch with people regularly in ways that are helpful and meaningful to them, so you build a relationship.

If you need assistance with your social media, contact us for assistance.

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