The business world today is rapidly changing.Long gone are the days of passive marketing. Today, it's necessary to get social, and stay active, relevant, and connected.While social media continues to evolve, many businesses struggle to keep up.So how should you use social media to attract, engage and build rapport with your audience?Below are 10 golden rules to social media you every business should follow.

Golden Rules to Successful Social Media Marketing

1. Repurpose Your Top Content

Writing quality content and sharing it on social media isn't a one-and-done situation.If it's evergreen - content relevant today and a year from now - get that into a system.

Refresh that content into new media
Update the context within the social media post
Add new statistics or supporting information

This keeps your content up-to-date while multiplying your impact without doubling your cost.

Content re-purposing isn't a new idea, but it is an underutilized one. When you re-purpose, you take a piece of content & turn it into many.

Your blog becomes a tweet - video - podcast...The beauty behind it? You multiply efforts, increasing impact & all at a lower cost.— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) April 19, 2020

2. Write High-Quality Content

Quality vs. quantity, the age-old question across social media. But what does that mean, and how does it impact your posts?Quality social media content is:

Personalized
Value-based
Timely
Informational
Relevant

Don't worry about the number of posts, instead, focus on writing for your reader.

10 Things to Do While You're Home

1. Check in on friends/family2. Read a book (or listen)3. Try something new (cooking, learning a language)4. Go on a virtual trip5. Play a game6. Dance to your fave music7. Pamper yourself8. Start a journal9. Clean & organize10. Rest— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) March 14, 2020

3. Update Your Content on a Regular Basis

It's not enough to write high-quality content. You must write and post often and with purpose.Your readers, audience, and community members are looking to you as a resource. Keep them coming back by baking consistency into your social media plan.

It's easier than ever to hop on #socialmedia and quickly lose an hour to mindless, clicking, liking, and lurking.Instead, plan ahead.

1. Turn off notifications2. Schedule 2x p/day to respond3. Intentionally network & engaging4. Use a timer (15 min for the above)5. Repeat!— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) April 20, 2020

4. Be Patient

Patience is a virtue, especially when building a social media presence.Anything worth doing takes time. Invest your time in the right activities:

Build relationships
Grow audience engagement
Write compelling content
Track progress
Benchmark outcome
Make each interaction meaningful

Over time, this one strategy alone will be the key to your social media success.

Twitter is so much more than a platform. It's a playground for connection.

When you stop worrying about the numbers and instead invest in the relationships, it's amazing what can happen.— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) April 19, 2020

5. Stay Focused on Your Purpose

It's easy to get caught up in “shiny object syndrome.” There's always the newest, latest, and greatest social media strategy.Choose to say no to what isn't tested, and stay focused on what you're building. Work your strategy with diligence.Track progress and iterate based on user behavior and results.

Instead of connecting with a lot of people on #socialmedia, focus on connecting with the RIGHT people.

Here's how you can do this and how to use social media for your business, even in the midst of a crisis.https://t.co/EKqJdK59j1 pic.twitter.com/GArPn50QGq— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) April 14, 2020

6. Listen and Observe

Social media is an excellent listening tool.Pay attention to the needs of your audience. What solution can you offer? Listen through:

Google Alerts
Keyword research
Listening tools like Social Mention

What 3 words do you live by?

At the top of my list...PositivityCourageEmpathyHow about you?— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) April 20, 2020

7. Tag, Interact, Get Social

Tagging, mentioning, and interacting on social media is the fuel behind your success.Sharing someone else's article, want to highlight someone in your industry? Tag them, mention their name or business, then add context.Give a reason behind what you're sharing and why you found it valuable enough to share.Here's an example of what that looks like:

Top #Content Marketing Influencers on Twitter:💎@MikeSchiemer💎@evankirstel💎@jeffbullas💎@larrykim💎@BenKamauDigital💎@BrennerMichael💎@RebekahRadice💎@IsabellajonesCl💎@JonathanAufray #ContentMarketing trends for 2020 in our NEW research ➡️ https://t.co/N7mxYJKcH4.

— SEMrush (@semrush) April 17, 2020

8. Connect, Collaborate, Explore

Social media is a great way to connect with potential customers. It's also a place to identify thought leaders within your industry.Reach out, engage and interact through questions and feedback. Establish trust through consistent communication.When you show a sincere interest in others, they'll take a real interest in you.

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9. Cross-Promote

Are you posting content to various locations? For example, Instagram is only one spoke in your marketing wheel.Instead of posting to one channel, share content across various social channels. But make sure it's updated for that network.What plays well on LinkedIn doesn't elicit the same response on Facebook. Keep your message on point for the audience you're speaking with.Dr. Beth Frates tweet is a great example. This is a good usage of hashtags on Twitter, but on Facebook - let's just say we never got the hang of them over there.

When we pause to savor the simple, delightful moments, we make room in our hearts for more and more...❤️#TuesdayThoughts #tuesdayvibes #TuesdayMotivation #JoyTrain #IAM #MindBody #Mindfulness pic.twitter.com/ktUNRk8aL0

— Beth Frates, MD (@BethFratesMD) April 21, 2020

10. Never Forget Your Call to Action

What is a “Call to Action” (CTA)? It's a phrase that encourages action. It convinces people to click and learn more.Here's a few:

Visit your website
Sign up for your mailing list
Buy a product
Answer a question
Tag a friend
Use your branded hashtag
Swipe up

Without a clear call to action, your audience isn't clear whether they want to like, click or comment. Don't leave that next step to chance.Be clear, bold, and direct.

As best I can tell, to achieve exceptional results, you need 4 things:

(1) Quantity: You take lots of shots.(2) Quality: You take thoughtful shots.(3) Consistency: You keep shooting for a long time.(4) Luck: You get a few favorable bounces.What else would you add?