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How To Apply The Olympic Mind-Set To Your Social Media Marketing

By Beatrice Whelan, Social Media and Content Specialist at Sage

With the Olympics almost upon us we will see a flurry of sporting activity as people are inspired by the great efforts and achievements of the sports people taking part. You may be motivated to become more active or perhaps you are having Olympics themed days in your workplace. I’m probably the furthest thing from an athlete but we all know the mind-set required for a serious athlete competing in the Olympics so here are my thoughts on how you can apply the Olympic mind-set to your social media marketing.

1. Give It Your All

Olympic athletes don’t do things by half. They make a commitment and pour all of their efforts into getting that medal and many train 5-6 days a week. If you are serious about social media marketing for your business then you need to do the same. I sometimes hear people say that Facebook did nothing for their business but then I ask them how often they post and they reply once a week or that they abandoned it after a few weeks. That is not really putting in the effort required to engage with your Facebook fans. Admittedly not everyone has the time and resources needed, so if that is the case pick one social media channel that allows you to connect with your target audience and put the time and effort you can give into that one channel and really put the effort in to engage with the people that like your page.

2. Recover From Injury And Keep Going

Athletes often get set-backs from injuries or other things out of their control. When you get a set-back it can be hard to get back on the bike. Perhaps you got a negative comment from someone on your Facebook page or haven’t had the success you hoped for. Don’t give up. Take the time to recover and keep going.

3. Play The Long Game

Many of the athletes taking part in the Olympics have been training for years, since the last Olympics. They understand that gold medal success takes time. The same is true for social media. Although there can be quick wins, it often takes time to get success from your social media activity as it is about relationship building which does not happen overnight. Play the long game and don’t give up after a few months.

4. Set Goals

Olympic athletes have a very obvious goal in mind and they might have sub-goals that help them reach their ultimate goal of winning at the Olympics. Goals are very important in social media marketing. There are two types of goals you need to consider; social media goals and business outcome goals. A social media goal might be something like having a certain number of social media conversations with your target audience very month. A business outcome goal might be something like getting x number of customers or sales as a result of your social media activities every quarter. Think about what sub-goals you will need to achieve in order to achieve your bigger goals. Set realistic expectations and small, regular goals, then work towards them.

5. Avoid Burnout

When you get consumed with the online and social media world it is very easy to neglect other important things like exercise and rest. Successful athletes understand the importance of rest and relaxation and taking some time out to get mentally re-energised. If you feel the onset of burnout, give yourself a day or two away from social media. Go for a walk, enjoy time with friends and family and you will be ready to go for social media gold again.

Tell us how you are going for social media gold by commenting below.

For more social media hints and tips, follow us on Twitter @sageireland

 

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