If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve heard me say it a thousand times…social media was not and is not for selling your products and services.

Seems a little counterintuitive to my business and mission, doesn’t it? But you heard me right.

People started on social media to see cute photos of dogs and babies and to connect with former school mates. They did not sign on to simply be sold to in their down time.

Social media is about the user and the experience they have when they scroll through the feed on various platforms. As someone marketing your business on social media, remember that people aren’t following your page or engaging with your Instagram story because of you…it’s because of them. How they see themselves fitting into the mission of your company, how they benefit from the information you teach in your tutorials, how you make them feel better with supportive videos, how you reply to their comments and make them feel heard and worthwhile.

Build a community that helps people belong to something.

How do you accomplish this larger than life task? Follow the tips below:

1. Write down your why. What puts a fire in your belly and keeps you coming back to work every day? Write that down and keep it next to your workspace. But don’t stop there…share this mission with your followers. People with similar values and interests will identify with your message, and you’ll start to build a following.
2. Listen. What is important to your followers? What questions are they asking on your posts? Which of your posts is getting the most traffic and engagement. Use all this data to help determine future topics of interest and content to share from your platforms.
3. Engage. Each day take time to like others’ posts, comment and ask questions of them, leave reviews for fellow businesses, etc. Show that you are as invested in your followers as you want them to be in you.
4. In real life offer fantastic customer service. Think about those soft skills you learned in school or your first job: punctuality, friendliness, keeping promises, finding solutions for customer problems, using people’s first names, remembering unique things about them.  Those small acts help to build a customer following and loyalty to you and your brand.

So when you are using social as a marketing platform for your biz, remember that it is your job…no your responsibility…to honor the people who follow you, and build a community to help them make connections and get inspired by your product or service.

For even more about building community, watch the MKM Live broadcast from Tuesday, July 31 or download the MKM LIVE_ Tuesday, July 31.