Max Branstetter’s Rules for Social Media Networking SuccessRead Time: 9 minutes

Social Media Networking Strategy:

Social media networking as a practice may have emerged years ago when ambitious marketers came across early online platforms, but strategists continue to refine it for efficiency and effectiveness. Max was inspired to look into the practice when digital strategist Gary V. began sharing his formula for successful social media networking.

This plan outlined a systematic method for marketers looking to grow an Instagram following and enhance their brand’s reputation. Gary V. encouraged marketers to reach out and leave their “2 cents” in the form of a comment to the top nine posts for ten separate hashtags throughout the day. According to Max, this type of social media networking can take up to three hours every day.

Although this structured method to networking may work well with the Instagram algorithm, most marketers do not have nearly enough time to dedicate to following it each day. To combat the time-consuming nature of Gary V.’s social media networking strategy, Max began thinking of ways he could improve its efficiency and reach.

Max’s 1-Hour Social Media Networking Strategy

Max realized that a strategy can only be successful if it is also simple enough to carry out. In developing his 1-Hour Social Media Strategy, Max set out to create a plan that the average marketer could implement for effortless, meaningful results with no monetary cost or investment.

The strategy aims broadly to grow a following, enable business networking, encourage engagement from other social media users–including industry influencers–, and ultimately, impact sales conversions.

Max’s social media networking strategy splits across three primary platforms: Instagram, Twitter, and FaceBook. For each platform, Max suggests allotting a certain amount of time to social media networking tasks, adding up to a total of one hour each day.

1. 30 Minutes of Instagram Social Media Networking

To kick off with social media networking, consider spending about 30 minutes each day on Instagram. In his 1-hour model, Max suggests reserving the largest chunk of time for Instagram networking because engaging effectively through the platform requires more time and effort than other sites. While using Instagram, marketers should consider the following rules:

• Follow Individuals and Businesses Relevant to Your Business

It matters who you follow on Instagram. For greater social media networking success, consider following profiles of those you aspire to be like professionally, those you hope to partner with in the future, and those with like-minded messaging to their followers.

• Add Value To The Comments You Leave Behind

Avoid copying and pasting the same templated message on each Instagram photo you find. While this may seem like a nifty shortcut, in reality, social media networking requires personalization and authenticity to be effective.

• Keep Track of Your Favorite Profiles

Because Instagram does not enable its users to organize lists of followers according to their own order, Max suggests keeping a separate list of the profiles you want to prioritize engaging with.

• Check Out Profiles Under Relevant Hashtags

Spend half of your time interacting with your own followers and the other half engaging with non-followers by sifting through hashtags. You can search hashtags relevant to your industry and interact with the top posts.

2. 20 Minutes of Twitter Social Media Networking

Max believes using Twitter is more efficient than Instagram, but it may not provide as much reach or exposure. He suggests splitting social media networking time evenly between interacting with followers and engaging with hashtagged content.

• Create A Conversation

Twitter is the best platform for starting a conversation or discussion. Max encourages companies to break free from standard tweeting to strike up a conversation with potential business partners or customers.

• Providing Value Pays Off

Max has found that Twitter followers tend to be more supportive of one another and likely to reciprocate. For this reason, he emphasizes the importance of sharing valuable information in tweets and comments while social media networking on Twitter.

3. 10 Minutes of FaceBook Social Media Networking

Facebook has been shown to be more receptive to paid marketing efforts than organic social media networking. This may be because the platform is typically not as crowded as other options. For this reason, Max suggests spending only 10 minutes on Facebook.

Tips For Every Social Media Networking Strategy

No matter what your social media networking strategy is, Max says you need to be authentic and treat other social media users with respect. He urges marketers everywhere to remind themselves that every social media profile is also a human being, even those operated on behalf of a brand or business.

If you keep this in mind while networking, you can gain your company a following, a good reputation, and even more profit.

KEY INSIGHTS

• Rather than limiting your social media presence to a single platform, consider dividing your strategy among multiple sites.
• Spending more time on social media does not necessarily guarantee better results; it is more important to use posts and interact with followers consistently.
• Social media networking may help you forge impactful business connections, establish an authoritative reputation, or even convert followers into paying customers.

MAX’S TAKEAWAYS

• Social media networking can serve as a powerful business tool.
• While you may not need to invest hours of your day in social media networking, an effective strategy always prioritizes consistency and regularity in social media use.
• Remembering that behind every social media account is a human being can help you create more genuine relationships while social media networking.

MORE FROM MAX

• Max’s Instagram Profile
• Max’s Twitter Profile
• Max’s FaceBook Profile
• Max’s LinkedIn Profile
• The Hippo Direct Homepage
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Presented by Hippo Direct
• Hippo Direct’s Instagram Profile
• Hippo Direct’s Twitter Profile
• Hippo Direct’s FaceBook Profile
• Hippo Direct’s LinkedIn Profile
• Max’s 1-Hour Social Media Strategy
• Hippo Direct’s Monthly Series: Digital Marketing Tips

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