3 TIPS TO RIDE THE WAVE – Social media has a lot in common with the beach. It just takes some time looking out at the ocean to contemplate such comparisons. Looking out at the waves and the seagulls, looking down at the seashells and the seaweed, and then back out to the surfers, oh those surfers, I started thinking about 3 things you can do in social media to successfully keep riding the wave. 
1. Surfers recognize that waves come in sets. Some sets are better than others. Social media comes in sets too. We can equate social media sets to “trends.” Some trends are better than others. The job of the surfer as well as the social media marketer is to decide which sets are worthy to try. Just like you can’t catch every wave, as a social media marketer you need to decide which social media trends are right for you – don’t attempt to be part of everything. Pick what looks good to you, stick with it and enjoy riding the wave.
2. Getting “tubed” is one of the ultimate thrills of surfing. It’s a high that only good surfers get to experience. A social media equivalent of being “tubed” is when one of your posts goes viral and people appreciate what you have presented to them and pass it on. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing you have given your readers, followers and friends something of value. Consistently providing interesting information that keeps your readers engaged will certainly keep you riding the wave.
3. Seashells get beaten up in the waves more often than not. When you walk the beach there are always plenty of pretty fragments to be found, but when you find a complete seashell well, that’s something special. It’s survived the force of the waves and it grabs your attention. The same holds true with social media. If you offer a complete package to your readers – a true picture of who you are along with a strong social media presence with posts filled with attention grabbing facts you become a force in social media marketing – one could say a social media seashell. You are riding the wave and not being beaten up by it.
One should have a social media plan not just some fragments like seashells on the shore. Do you have a written social media plan or are you working with seashell fragments? Once you have your plan, jump on your board, paddle out, yell cowabunga, have fun and ride this great social media wave.
Looking for more small business marketing tips? A few tips are posted each week on the Just a Small Town Girl Facebook page – hope you will visit and drop a note on the wall! Please feel free to download The Small Town Marketing Handbook (free short ebook found on the blog) which discusses how social media allows each of us to be successful marketers regardless of the size of our budgets. Also, if you would like to know a little bit more about how I market with little or no budget, here is our case study from Social Media Examiner – http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-social-media-saved-lake-arrowhead-when-city-ad-budgets-ran-dry/