These days, marketers no longer compare social media with email in terms of performance, because they have realized that there’s no progress in treating them as competitors, when they can reap the benefits of making both email and social media work in tandem. If you’re planning to use social media to boost your newsletter as well, here are some ways you can use to spot trends that you can take advantage of:
First, Separate Business from Personal Social Media Accounts
Don’t make the amateur mistake of using your personal social network accounts for business. Even if you don’t have any personal problems that might get in the way of running a business, there is still the fact that the trends that interest you and your circle of friends aren’t relevant to your business’ goals. Juggling business with personal life will be so much easier if you have separate social network accounts for each.
Set Up a Twitter Account and Follow Influential People
Twitter is great for keeping up with the latest trends because the social network is fast moving by design. Make sure you don’t distract yourself too much on the network (as it is admittedly easy to get lost in it) by only following people who are influential in your industry. This way, Twitter will work as a custom newsfeed that will show you what the influencers in your industry are currently talking about.
Follow Your Competition’s Facebook Page
You’ll have to be discreet with this one, though. If your competitor’s Facebook page is public, there is no need to “like” the page as you can manually visit their page to check their content. If it’s set to members only, you can create a new Facebook account that doesn’t bear your company’s name and use it to add your competitors. This way, you can be updated as to the content of their pages and what they share. If a subject or topic comes up in two or more competitors’ pages, you can bet that it’s a growing trend.
Use LinkedIn to Follow Influencers
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is geared more towards businesses and professionals. So it is advisable to get a personal account here – you won’t be able to use it for entertainment and socialization, but it is the perfect venue for networking with people from your industry. And the fact that LinkedIn users know that it’s only for professional networking means that you won’t have to worry about clutter, distractions, or spam.
Lastly, Include Checking Social Media for News in Your Routine
Even if just for a few minutes, dedicate a part of your daily routine to checking out the news and your social channels. This will help you keep track of trends as they are building, which would allow you to be one of the firsts, instead of just jumping on the bandwagon later.
