If you are like most law firms or other businesses, you may think of social engagement on the Internet as a matter of “setting up” a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile and sitting back and waiting for results. Unfortunately, it is not quite that simple. When you engage in social media marketing, you are not simply building a static advertisement; instead, you are building and managing an online community of followers whose needs and opinions evolve based on current events, your actions and their own perceptions.
This means a lot of work, and many firms are just not up to the task of building or managing a group of this size. However, you cannot ignore the brand loyalty you can build or the benefits to your company or firm of social media advertising.
In order to build and manage a truly viable online community, there are five basic steps you need to take:
1) Set some goals. It does not matter if you start big or small; you simply have to start. Set goals and decide how long it should take you to reach them. This is the only way to know if you are moving in the right direction.
2) Develop KPIs. KPIs are key performance indicators and they are the pulse points of your online community building. This is where professional help can become very important; it is vital that you understand what real success in building an online community looks like. It is important that you engage the help of someone who can tell you if what you are doing is actually working.
3) Develop a creative strategy and choose your tools. This is the fun but challenging part of any community development. It is also a step that is best accomplished with the creative help of your entire team or workforce. Let everyone have a say in what you do with your online community development and you may be surprised at some of the ideas that surface.
4) Stick to your goals. It is easy to become derailed during the implementation process of moving into social media use. Review your goals frequently to ensure you are on track.
Following these steps will help you begin to build your online presence with a living, breathing community. An SEO marketing strategy firm can help you achieve the goal of building a real online neighborhood around your brand.