Running a successful social media campaign is about delivering great value on a regular basis to strengthen the visibility and reputation of your brand.
To help you do this, you can, and should, use a number of tools that will let you access a larger audience, that will automate some of the process for you and that will provide you with more data and insights.
Social Selling And Engagement Tools
This sheet will provide you with all the social media resources you could possibly need to start absolutely killing it on social media. Dig into these resources, try out these tools and you should be able to develop a more powerful social media presence than ever before.
Social Media Sites
To start, let’s list the social media sites you should be on right now:
1. Facebook: Facebook needs no introduction, as the biggest and most successful social media site of all. Every business needs an account.
2. Twitter: Often considered the ‘second’ social media site, despite not actually being the second biggest. Short statuses mean big rewards for small amounts of work, while hashtags allow you to jump on trending topics.
3. Instagram: This arty photo app is the second biggest social media site. It’s perfect for showing off the glamorous and beautiful side of your business/niche.
4. Google+: Google’s own social site hasn’t taken off quite as much as the others but it’s crucial thanks to its ties to the search engine and YouTube.
5. Pinterest: Pinterest is about creating ‘mood boards’ by pinning images you find online. This can be a very useful resource for people, which is very useful for allowing your company to provide value.
6. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a networking tool for professionals. This is very useful for influencer marketing and networking genuinely, while features like the ‘showcase pages’ and ‘LinkedIn Pulse’ also make it handy for general digital marketing.
7. Tumblr: Tumblr often goes forgotten as a social media site but in fact it’s still very popular. The original idea was that it would provide a text‐light, image‐heavy blogging platform. It’s an idea that has caught on and it has a lot of very dedicated users.
Forums
Forums provide a great opportunity to interact with a very targeted community and to build meaningful relationships with some influencers in your niche.
1. Reddit: Reddit is a social bookmarking site that provides user‐curated content on specific topics. It works similarly to a message board and has a gigantic userbase as well as many powerful features.
2. SnapChat: Snapchat allows uses to send pictures to one another that are seen for only a few seconds. This is a great tool for keeping fans up‐to‐date with your activities and has a very personal feel.
3. YouTube: The video sharing site is crucial for video marketing and has a very strong social aspect.
4. Periscope: A video streaming app that companies are using to stream events and help build hype for product launches and more. This is widely believed to be the future of video marketing.
5. Meerkat: An alternative video streaming app.
6. Vine: A tool that lets you share very short video clips. Works well with Twitter.
Social Media And Content Creation
Now you’re on pretty much every social media site out there, the next step is to start adding content. The following tools can help you do that while saving time and engaging with your followers more effectively.
1. IFTTT: IFTTT stands for ‘If This, Then That’ and is a tool that lets you set up relationships between different social media accounts and web apps. This has many powerful uses and is certainly worth investigating.
2. Buffer: This app lets you schedule multiple posts. Write all your status updates in one go and then let them go live at set intervals.
3. HootSuite: This is one of the most effective tools for managing multiple social accounts and has advanced features allowing multiple users to access the same account etc.
4. Shareaholic: For adding social sharing buttons to your site. This way, your users can share your content on your behalf.
5. Buzzsumo: This tool lets you find currently trending content online so that you can share it to your own followers.
6. Followerwonk: This gives you more information about your users, telling you what time of day they’re active etc.
7. Rapportive: This is a plugin for Gmail that allows you to see the LinkedIn profiles of anyone who messages you. Great for building your connections.
8. Klout: Klout is a tool that lets you measure your overall social media power – useful for measuring your performance over time and setting goals.
More Resources
The above tools and social media sites will let you get started with a ubiquitous and consistent campaign. However, there are many more opportunities to take this even further if you have the right resources.
Learn about even more awesome social selling and marketing tools at
http://bonniesainsbury.com/social‐media‐resource‐guide/
About the Author
Bonnie Sainsbury demystifies technology and social media for clients to allow them to become influencers in their field. Bonnie’s clients include authors, business owners and coaches who want to establish their brand online.
Named to CEOWorld Magazine's 2014 Top 25 Women in Social Media, Forbes 2013 20 Top Women Social Media Power Influencers and 50 Top Social Media Power Influencers. Co-host of Women Talking Tech, a periodic podcast where we discuss what's happening in social media. Mentor to teams participating in Startup Weekend Vancouver.
Using her marketing expertise and technical know-how Vancouver-based Bonnie is able to advise my clients how to implement change into their online and social marketing strategy to deliver results.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author. CPSA does not endorse any of the companies, products and services mentioned within this article.