-1-
Decide what type of content
you should create.
Think in combination of who you are
and who your followers are. What do
you have to say/share that could be of
value to someone else… what do they
really care about? Remember, your
followers have decided to give up real
estate on their social timelines for your
content. Take that as a huge compliment but also a huge responsibility a responsibility to create content that
is worth reading, watching,
sharing, etc.
-2-
Choose your platforms
wisely.
You run a business and time is very
limited. Don’t spread yourself too
thin by trying to reach everyone
through every platform. From the
point above, you should first decide
what type of content you want to
create. Then look at the different
platforms and evaluate their effectiveness for your type of content.
Invest your (limited) time into what
will make the largest impact. If you
decide to share videos and media,
Instagram and Facebook are great
avenues for sharing. If you prefer to
share articles and whitepapers, then
Twitter is a great avenue.
IT’S TIME TO
BECOME
AUTHENTIC WITH
YOUR STRATEGY.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS
TO REALLY HELP
YOU ELEVATE YOUR
SOCIAL MEDIA
EFFORTS.
-4-
Give, give, give…
and then ask.
Gary Vaynerchuk has built a media
empire through social media and one
of his books titled, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right
Hook is all about giving first,
then asking.
The idea is that social media isn’t a
platform to tell people all about howgreat you are - it’s an opportunity to
create a discussion, a conversation that
could never exist in years past. Providing free content, advice or promotional
offers helps to show that you are on
social platforms for them – for your
followers. When the time is right, ask
them to reciprocate in some way; promote your upcoming trunk show, anniversary sale or new line of sunglasses.
Reciprocity is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to any
small business.
-3-
Create specific content for
specific platforms.
Social media (and marketing in general)
is all about storytelling. Instagram
allows you to tell stories through media,
such as photo and video.
Twitter allows you to tell a story in
condensed snippets of text (creating
short, yet impactful sentences).
Sharing the same content across all
platforms, while it seems like the
right thing to do to save time, actually
creates a missed opportunity to tell
your story in the most engaging way
possible. Each platform comes with
it’s own intricacies and culture. Tap
into that to increase results.
-5-
Show your personality.
Think about why you are in business
specifically. Think about what you offer
that no one else does. What do you
stand for? What is your core competency? What is the reason that someone would drive by five other eye care
businesses to choose yours.
Harness that answer and put it into
the content you create, share and
present to the world. Don’t belike
everyone else… don’t just share other
people’s content. Create your own.
Be different. Be unique. Be special.
Be you.
Social media has given the eye care industry an incredible opportunity
to interact with patients like never before. Consumer loyalty is at an
all-time low but with the right strategy, content and platforms, your
business could thrive in creating a strategy that connects you that
was never previously possible. Take the time to plan out what you
want to say, invest in creating high quality content and choose the
right way to share it with the world. In two simple words
36 Optical Prism | September 2016
– Be authentic.
Kevin Wilhelm is the President of Marketing4ECPs
– a digital agency focused on providing marketing
solutions for eye care professionals. To learn more
about our digital marketing program, visit our
website at www.Marketing4ECPs.com.