How is your social media strategy working for you? If your changes were few and far between last year, then this year you will want to refreshen your approach. Why? Because social media is just like your face — without some extra special attention on a regular basis it can look tired, droopy and even dull, not an attractive outlook for face or media alike. So, read on for some tips on how to give your social media strategy a winning makeover, one that can bring you more business this year.

The Essentials

Where are you most active online? What works for you and what does not? You need to assess how you interact with people through social media and define the essential tools or platforms to achieve a winning strategy. Quite easily, you may be spread too thin — Reddit, Delicious, Quoara, Pinterest, Digg and a host of smaller sites may take up too much of your time. Check your web statistics to determine where your traffic is coming from. If one of the smaller sites shows promise, do not eliminate it from your list. Consider how you might make the best out of your involvement with each.

The big guns of social media today are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Every business should have a presence on these sites with information that is relevant, interesting and current. If you cannot invest the same amount of time on each site, you can automate some of what you do or schedule certain days of the week to handle those responsibilities. One of the easiest ways to keep your social media presence going is to link your Facebook and Twitter accounts so that updates and tweets can spread across both platforms. Use a service such as OnlyWire to submit your updates automatically for these sites and other platforms that work for you.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

There is the private you and there is the public you when it comes to Facebook. You may want to keep the two separate by tweaking your profile to have your personal updates read only by your family and friend followers and your business updates open to everyone. Take care that your public information is readily accessible and contains information that your readers find appealing. This means holding the occasional contest or finding other ways to reward your Facebook followers. For instance, if you are a clothing retailer, you may want to provide a discount code that can only be used by your followers. Add in other perks as your see fit — check what your competition is doing and follow suit.

With Twitter, consider operating multiple accounts. Use a main Twitter account for your business and another Twitter account for you as a business professional. A third account can be used to share your personal updates, providing a clear line of demarcation that can easily be followed. Use a client service such as TweetDeck or HootSuite to keep your accounts separate, to schedule updates and to follow what others are saying. To build a loyal following, make sure that everyone can read your tweets. Have an “I follow back” policy to ensure that your reach is as deep as it is wide. And, yes, use the best hashtags to convey your message.

LinkedIn is strictly for business and your involvement on this site should reflect. Your profile page should accurately who you are and what you do, making use of the keywords that best describe what you do. Your profile picture should feature you attired in a business suit or a similar professional outfit. Review how you connect with people and determine the best course of action for strengthening or expanding your network. This may mean joining a group, forming a new one or reaching out to others in your industry to connect. Look for the offline benefits of using LinkedIn too — many local business groups are now an extension of their LinkedIn presence or at least offer a strong connection between the two.

The Bottom Line

The strategies featured here represent only the tip of the social media iceberg. Quite frankly, you may need to work with an SEO specialist or a social media professional to take your site to the next level.

When considering such a specialist, you need to discuss your needs and what you would like to get from your social media endeavors this year. Together, you can build a plan that leads to a winning formula, where social media is the tool that connects you with your followers and brings you new business this year.

Author Information

Charles Dearing has worked extensively in managing SEO campaigns. He enjoys keeping companies on the straight and narrow when it comes to  SEO. He shares his insights on various blogs. Visit SEO Works to learn more about his work.