Use Social Media to Reinforce Your Message
[by Thomas Werner]
So you have your Facebook account set-up, are adding business connections on LinkedIn, and are Tweeting from time to time. You spend “x” number of hours a week posting and building your base, you have “friended” and “connected” and “follow” your fellow photographers, favorite web sites, blogs and Facebook pages, personal gurus, and maybe even a client or two. Now what do you do next as you sit in front of your computer waiting for your efforts to turn in to new opportunities?
The first step is to be sure that you are doing more than just connecting and growing your number of contacts on each site. Spend a little time looking at the message that you are sending through each of these channels, does it match your business plan, your personal goals? Are you mixing friends with business, or are you reinforcing your brand and developing an online voice? Do prospective clients know who you are via your posts, updates and tweets? Are you connecting with your target audience? Do you need to create a separate page or social media identity for your business?
It is essential that you use social media to help clarify who you are, not to confuse your future clients. Align your use of social media with your other advertising and promotions, use it to reinforce your companies brand. Think twice about the images you post, the colors that you use and the links that you send. It can take a lot time and energy to help a client understand who you are as a person, and the kind of work and service that you deliver as a business. Social media should reinforce your message, not undermine your hard work, you do not want to give a client a reason to wonder if you are the right fit.
Thomas Werner is an Educator, Lecturer and Curator. Please see Thomas Werner Projects at Facebook.com for new projects and additional information.