Suffering From Social Media Marketing Anxiety? A Few Tips for Earning Social Media Mentions

Are you worried that no one is talking about your company on Facebook? Do you keep obsessively refreshing the "connect" page on you Twitter feed in hopes of seeing new mentions of your business, only to find that there are no new updates every time? Fortunately, there are many ways to cure the social media blues. Here are a few ways to ensure that your business gets more social media mentions.

Make Content Easy to Share

One of the easiest ways to increase your mentions is to make your online content easier to share. When adding blog posts, creating new webpages, or adding a new news item to your homepage, always make sure that there's at least a "tweet this," "like on Facebook," and "share on LinkedIn" button nearby. Web users are used to quick interactions, and anything you can do to break down barriers between consuming content and sharing content will increase the likelihood of your content being shared.

Provide an Incentive for Mentioning

Another great way to increase your mentions is to offer something in return for sharing your updates. Many promo campaigns have gone social now, and will offer incentives such as: "Share this update on your Facebook wall and we'll enter you in a draw to win a pair of designer sunglasses." People are much more likely to share something if there's a chance they'll get something out of it for themselves.

Give People Something They Want

In addition to offering promos such as free giveaways, you can also increase your mentions simply by providing people with what they want, right away. Insider information, fun videos, weird news stories - these are all items that get big traction on social media sites. Share one of the above in a way that relates to your business and watch the retweets and likes multiply.

Ask For It

Sometimes the best way to get something you want is to ask for it. Market research has found that on average, brands will increase their retweet rate by twenty three times, simply by asking for retweets.

Institute a Reciprocal Sharing Program

Since asking for retweets works, imagine how pleased others would be if you approached them asking if you could share any of their content for them. You'd be surprised at how much sharing other people's content can increase your own mentions. Simply by providing other users with a service, you are increasing the likelihood that they will want to return the favor.

Credit Your Sources

When you share a link on Twitter, always remember to include the original source by typing "via @Twitterhandle" (where “Twitterhandle” is the username of the original poster) at the end of your tweet. This includes your source in the conversation, and also encourages them to retweet your tweet, especially if your tweet involves some sort of interesting comment or observation that relates to the link you're sharing. Especially if you're running your business from a virtual office, it's important to not just have a presence on social media, but to have a presence that makes a real impact. Try out a few of these methods, and see if you can chase some of those social media blues away and regain your social confidence.