Internet Marketing Tips, Social Media
Many people think that social media is just posting on Facebook randomly, but it is so much more than that. When executed properly, social media has the potential to bring your business to the next level, giving customers a sneak peek into how your company works, and why you are worth their time. Want to learn more and boost your social media presence? It’s all in this week’s blog!
Posting Consistently
If you’re going to do social media, you’ve really got to do it right. Social media as we know it may be new, but it is incredibly powerful. One of the first things to remember about social media is posting consistently. To make social work for you, you’ll need a strategy. Some companies like to post three times a week, while others only post one a week, or even once a month. A good starting place is once a week.
Posting original content is what will make you stand out here. Blogs are a great way to generate traffic to your website, while getting some engagement in places like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The more consistently you post, the higher your reach will become. Yes, most social media like Facebook is “pay to play” oriented, but if you’re producing high quality content that people are engaging with (liking, sharing, and commenting on) then you’ll be able to increase your reach organically.
Give Your Brand An Authentic Voice
Now that you’re posting content on a regular basis, it’s time to think about what kind of voice you’re writing with. Ideally, you should have one person who is coordinating your social media presence, in the name of consistency. You may need to do a little bit of soul searching to find the perfect balance of what to say, and how you want to say it. What you’re posting on social networking sites needs to match up with what your brand is all about. Are you focused on giving back to the community? Make sure to post about fundraising efforts that you’re involved with, or local events that you’re sponsoring for a good cause. Social media is a rare opportunity to show the person behind the brand, so make sure you sound like a genuine human being.
Want Engagement? Post Engaging Content
When you’ve mastered the basics of social media, you can begin mixing things up a little bit. Stick with the basics: posting on a consistent basis, good branding, and always posting original content, but start thinking about how you can color outside the lines. Working on a new product? Snap a quick picture on your smartphone to tease what’s coming. Hire a great new employee? Take a minute to write up a post introducing them, or maybe feature them on your blog with a Q&A. The two most engaging kinds of posts on social media are images and videos.
According to Buzzsumo, “updates with images had…2.3x more engagement than those without.” This is really a no brainer: when you’re posting your quality content, make sure it’s not all words. Having a featured image on Facebook helps your content cut through the other fluff that ends up in your customer’s news feeds. When you’re posting engaging content, this will be translated into engagement. It’s not helping you if you’re only getting one or two likes per post, or worse, none. The ultimate goal with social media is to start a conversation. And the easiest way to do that is to have content that’s easily shareable across social networks.
Team Up With Other Businesses And Cross Promote
Although this tip doesn’t apply to all posts on social media, it’s a good one to have in your back pocket. For events that mention multiple businesses, it’s a great idea to team up and cross promote. The power of social media is multiplied when you’re able to cross promote. Tagging other businesses allows their followers to see what you’re posting, and shows a group effort. What’s more, if you’ve teamed up with other businesses, they’ll be posting your content as well, creating a web of sharing that can extend far beyond where it first started. This can lead to more engagement on posts, likes across pages, and more publicity for the event that is being featured. This is just one more piece that can help really make a difference when it comes to getting the word out!
Not every business has time to do these best social media practices, we get that. If you need help with your social media efforts, or are looking for someone to run your profiles for you, give us a call or fill out the contact form below. Together, we can work out a social media strategy that’s unique to you and your business.
