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This post is part of a series entitled The Four Pillars of Social Media.  This week’s topics revolve around the third pillar, Engagement.

One of the major advantages of social media is that it can allow free and instant access to pre-built audiences in a wide variety of channels.  The real question is: how do you convert these audiences into brand loyal enthusiasts that will consume your products and services for years to come?

The answer is a 1-2 punch of active participation and opportunity for landing.

Reaching Out Through Participation

The concept of “joining the conversation” is one that’s well-worn in the social media landscape.  In order to become an industry thought leader, it’s important to engage in relevant forums, tweet ups, LinkedIn conversations, and influential blogs.

The Gift of Content

If the conversation is the honey, consider online content the flypaper.  Authoritative content is the gateway to your site.  Don’t feel shy about pointing the link to your content so long as:

1. It is extremely relevant to the conversation and
2. It will be of great service to the audience.

Otherwise, you run the risk of looking too self-serving which will severely hamper your ability to create a following.

Here just a few ways you can build a social media following through valuable content:

• Guest Contributions
  Reach out to well-respected bloggers and key influencers.  Tell them how much you admire their content and offer up your services to write a post or two—even feel free to pitch a couple ideas.  Not only will this allow you the opportunity to receive visibility from your target audience, but also the chance to drive the occasional incoming link or two (remember, rich anchor text and deep within the site).
• Multimedia
  Remember, content is so much more than just articles.  Don’t forget to post optimized video and image content on websites such as YouTube and Flickr.  It’s a great way to introduce your brand in a helpful and informative way.
• Press Releases
  Writing a press release is one of the most powerful ways to utilize offsite content.  A creative and headline grabbing press release is one of the quickest and most effective ways to stir social media interest around your brand.

Don’t Forget: Convert the Traffic!

You’re so close to actually converting social media visits into sales!  The final phase is the conversion—the call-to-action in which you allow the user to take the plunge from casual fan into paying customer.  Make sure your content has attractive offers that don’t impede the quality of the content. Also, be sure to offer at least two conversion points per page.  Additionally, experiment with both soft and hard conversions.  An example of a soft conversion might be “sign up for our free report” whereas a hard conversion is typically more along the lines of a sale.  Varying your conversion points will allow you to accommodate consumers along varying stages of the buy cycle.

Series Navigation

«Letting Go Of Your Ego«Buzz Monitoring Tools Can’t Tell You EverythingUsing Analytics to Help Find Opportunities in Social Media»Is Your Social Media Strategy Flexible?»

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Tags: creating content, guest bloggers, guest contribution, join the conversation, joining the conversation, multimedia, press releases
Posted in Engagement, Four Pillars of Social Media, Social Media Conversations, Social Media Tactics | 8 Comments »