So you have an #InventionIdea? In this age of technology and social media, best practices dictate you should have several social media profiles to promote your invention idea. There are over 1.35 billion active monthly Facebook members, 284 million Twitter users, and 332 million LinkedIn users, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Social media allows you to reach your audience on a platform they are already using many hours a day. Many social networks now even allow you to create advertisements that look like natural content they would normally find in their news feeds. If you’re promoting your invention idea, it’s obvious you need to utilize social media. But how do you do it effectively?
1. Set Up Profiles
There are a few basic profiles you should prioritize. Facebook has the most users, so you should set up this profile first. Make sure you are setting up a business page, not a personal profile. Although you can promote your invention idea on your personal page, you want to have a separate professional page for your product. Be sure the title of your page is concise. You can describe it in length in another section of the page. Next, set up a Twitter profile. Again, ensure it is set up under your invention’s name. Another must-have profile is a corporate LinkedIn page. Many businesspeople, developers, and representatives from companies looking to license products have a LinkedIn profile. There are endless networking opportunities on LinkedIn.
These three profiles are the highest priority, but it is also a good idea to create company profiles on Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Tumblr. If you enjoy writing and think you can maintain a blog, create one of those as well. It is important to make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself with social media accounts. Try maintaining Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for a few months before adding on additional profiles.
2. Create Content
After you’ve established your profiles, you should start personalizing them with content. Fill in sections with appropriate information and post some pictures of your product. Next, post some links to your website and talk about your background and why you are passionate about your invention. It never hurts to share some articles relating to your invention idea or innovation in general. Make sure you have a balance between your own content and outside content and between promotional posts and brand-building posts. For Twitter, check the trending hashtags every day and see if you can relate those to your invention idea. Remember, never get into malicious arguments or talk about politics, religion, or sex on your company profiles.
3. Find Your Audience
Do your research and find people who may be interested in your invention. There are various websites and tools designed to help you find people in your audience. Asking your friends and family to like your page and share your content also helps you reach out. On Twitter, many people will follow you if you follow them. If you find this isn’t the case, send them a direct message explaining why you want to connect. In LinkedIn, join groups which have discussion on your invention’s industry, invention trade shows, and startup businesses. Participating in these forums will drive traffic to your pages. Make sure all of your social profiles include links to each other.
4. Engage Your Audience
Once you have a small following on social media, your followers can help you to build your audience, so long as you engage them. Your posts should cause others to want to share, like, or comment on them. Ask questions in your posts. Post pictures people will want to share on their pages. Respond with personal, meaningful answers when someone asks you a question. Additionally, Facebook has a feature which allows you to create a poll. You can use this to ask your followers what they want to see on your page. This not only drives traffic to your invention idea, but also gives you content ideas. If you get feedback from customers or business partners, you can use their quotes as content as well.
Aim to post at least 3-4 times per week on Facebook, 1-2 times per day on Twitter, and 1-2 times per week on LinkedIn to start off; you don’t want to overwhelm people with your posts. If you find your audience is accepting and engaging, you can post more. There are also many free and paid tools available to schedule and analyze your social media posts.
5. Create Partnerships
Social media used most effectively is very social. Partnerships and collaborations will increase your page views and brand sentiment. Find other products which are in the same industry as you but are not direct competitors. Build relationships with industry leaders and opinion leaders. It never hurts to have a good blogger on your side. If you have samples or trials available, offer these to bloggers in exchange for a fair review. Social media conferences are also a great way to network and build professional relationships. If you live near a city, there may be some in your area. If you are in a smaller town, contact your local chamber of commerce and ask if there are any resources in the area.
6. Keep It Up
Once you have the basics of social media down, there are endless things you can do to promote your invention. Look into the advertising tools in the individual platforms and check out third party social media advertisers as well. Scheduling and analyzing tools are also very helpful. If you live near a college, consider bringing on a social media intern to take some of the work off your shoulders. Sign up for free or inexpensive social media, social analytics, or SEO classes to improve your knowledge.
Social media is a huge tool for inventors so long as you know how to use it effectively. Using these tips can help you get started with using social media to promote your invention idea, but there are many more strategies and tactics that you can and should employ. If you have any specific questions regarding social media strategy, please send me an email and I will do my best to assist you.
