On the 9th and 10th of July I attended the Big Social Media Conference in Manchester in the UK, which was exactly what it said on the tin; a substantial gathering of people that knew A LOT about social media. Just like fans of music at Glastonbury, not only were the attendees knowledgeable but on the whole they were looking to bask in the aura of some of the greats, as well as some up and comers in the sector today.

Speakers included the ultra personal, ball of energy, great haired, Head of Brand and Social Media at white goods heavyweight AO, Yossi Erdman, international best selling author of The LinkedIn Code, Melonie Dodaro, and only Mari Smith who’s listed in Forbes Magazine’s Top 10 Social Media Power List.

So, the phrase ‘cream of the crop’ springs to mind.

Across the two days there were a range of topics covered outside of the usual ‘How to gain followers and influence people’ including how to further engage your audience from experts in specific channels, how to evaluate how engaged the people that follow your brand are, and how they should be ‘sold’ to in order to encourage brand loyalty.

Even more interestingly (as the audience were on the whole already practiced and familiar with how to use social media and the tools associated with it), was the focus on what should be happening internally at a business with an already healthy social media following. This included how it’s managed, at what point it’s potentially losing value by growing too big, and who among its followers should be in the spotlight.

As a small business, social media leverage can be absolutely critical to finding and building a customer base. In a world where people are constantly talking to each other about themselves and their interests, on one hand it’s a very exciting time but alternatively it can be incredibly daunting. In some ways as a business it can feel like you are a spy gripping on for dear life on the roof of the social media train.

But if that is you… FEAR NOT! There are others out there that feel exactly the same and there are some basic principles you can follow, which the Big Social Media Conference definitely cemented.

1. Know your ‘Brandonality’

Heavy Hitting social media strategist Sam Flynn talked about having a clear brand personality or ‘Brandonality’ that is clearly conveyed through social media outreach. That way followers are fully immersed in the brand, and what the brand stands for and the tone of how the business operates will in turn attract the right client base.

2. Understand your ‘Social Value’

Javier Buron from Social Bro mentioned that 59% of Twitter users follow brands. How then should you stand out as a business? Well, if you’re laser focussed on your target audience at all times, are crystal clear as to why they are following you, and are talking to them about what they’re interested in, you can’t lose.

3. Don’t ‘Push’ Sales Inappropriately

Marketing advisor to Facebook Mari Smith talked about purchase links through Facebook. During 2015 / 16 there will be some very interesting developments regarding content on Facebook. Ultimately, as a platform like most other social heavyweights they constantly focus on the end user, and from what Mari talked about, the latest updates are very much focussed on instantly grabbing the attention of the user and showing them the appropriate direction to follow next. Therefore by slamming content down the necks of users that just screams ‘BUY MY PRODUCT! BUY IT NOW!’ isn’t engaging. If you do that, like a pushy bazaar seller your target market will recoil and run away into the arms of a warmer, softer spoken brand with a comfy chair and calming music.

4. Content is King (but engagement is Queen and rules the house really)

Not only is what you say critical but how you say it even more so. If you aren’t showing your market what they want to see it becomes a pretty unfruitful exercise. Ex Head of PR and Content at Confused.com and now MD of Brand Content, Sharon Flaherty couldn’t have stressed any more that content HAS to be at the core of what you publish. Think about what you’re saying and who wants to hear it. If you went to a party and a slightly tipsy friend of a friend just walked up to you and talked at you for 30 minutes about their life then ended the ‘chat’ by just walking off without asking you a single question, apart from making your blood boil, you might realise why they don’t have any real friends. Well, that’s like a brand who doesn’t engage and has no followers as a result.

5. Don’t be BORAT at a Dinner Party

Say something interesting, funny or useful. Don’t just talk about how many cups of tea you’ve had! Lilach Bullock listed on the Forbes Top 20 Women Social Media Influencers, reiterated so many times that the aim of putting a strategy together is based around principles that we already use as human beings on a daily basis. If you try and start a conversation with someone talking about something completely random that they have no interest in, it won’t result in high fives and Facebook friends. Getting to understand what people want and talking to them about how you can help will. The trick is using your two ears in ratio to your one mouth accordingly. Listen, understand and engage those markets accordingly.

So…

Overall, you can probably see some emerging themes. As a business, since the dawn of time it’s always been about providing real value to people that need it. With the development of online media, marketing that value has just meant that the challenge is bigger than it’s ever been, but the principles are still the same.

We can’t wait as an agency to help our clients to do that and grow with them.

Grab your tickets for The BSMC next year if you haven’t already! Here’s to the future!