Social media marketing is an integral part of any business, but it can be difficult to keep up with the changes and ever-evolving trends. Here are some tips so you don’t get left behind:
Be consistent.
Posting consistently can go a long way in cementing your business on social media sites. Not only will this increase the likelihood of your customers seeing your posts, but posting more frequently can also help entice new customers to your business if your posts are getting enough engagement
Social media users have a very short attention span, so try to keep your posts short and sweet whenever possible.
Also, remember to think about the content. What works for one business might not work for yours, even in the same industry. You want your content to reflect your image and brand. If you want to come off as trendy, then you need to make trendy posts. If you’re going for sophisticated, make your posts in the same way.
Everything from your branding to marketing to social media should have the same overall tone that your audience will come to expect.
Keep your posts interesting and engaging.
Include different types of content (i.e., video, polls, AMAs, etc.) so your posts stand out.
Also, people love novelty, so having some twist or an unexpected ingredient in your posts is a good idea. For example, when most people think of Old Spice, they probably think of Terry Crews playing instruments with his pecs, or a muscular young man on a horse, both done in a comedic fashion.
When it comes to engagement, don’t be afraid to speak with your customers through social media, and even share what they have to say with the rest of the world. If you do, make sure you ask them first and give credit where it’s due.
Another way to spark engagement is to use hashtags. Hashtags are a way to attach a keyword to your posts to increase their potential reach online. It’s important to keep in mind that the hashtag doesn’t replace keywords, but rather works alongside them to give your post more visibility online. It’s important to keep in mind that the more relevant the hashtag is, the more likely it is to gain traction.
Provide value to your audience.
Some businesses make the mistake of thinking social media is all about selling, but that’s only part of the equation. You should be providing your followers with interesting and relevant material that has value for them.
Providing your followers with quality content that they’ll find valuable is a surefire way of gaining their trust and interest.
Furthermore, there are a ton of popular social media sites out there, and they are each unique in what they do and who they cater to. Learn where your audience is and how they use that particular platform, and create your marketing plan around it.
Be open to different ideas and suggestions.
Give your followers and potential customers the option to leave feedback, questions, suggestions or comments. Doing this can help build a sense of trust with them. It also helps you get valuable information about what they like and don’t like about your product or service in return.
Keep an eye on what your followers are saying whenever possible, and always respond on time. It’s important that you take any criticism as a priority and address any issues with your customers as fast as possible based on the feedback. This is a good way of maintaining customer loyalty and ensuring that your customers feel valued by your business and its employees.
Be authentic.
There’s nothing worse on social media than seeing a business or brand not being true to itself — or, at least, not interacting in a way that’s aligned with its existing branding.
With the wrong approach, customers will start to see through your facade and won’t be too surprised when you don’t deliver what you promised. If you want to build a real and powerful following on social media, it’s important to be yourself.
Be aware of algorithm changes.
If you see an increase in social media advertising or a decline in organic engagement, it can be a sign that the algorithm has changed and your social media posts are getting buried by ads.
Typically, you cannot look up exactly what the algorithm changes are, so it means you need to analyze each and every post and see if a pattern develops that indicates a change has been made.
It’s also worth noting that many social media platforms have yet to incorporate real-time metrics into their algorithms.
Know your social media goals and act accordingly.
It’s a good idea to have a clear vision of your goals for your social media strategy as well as actual goals for your business. These will help determine where and how you can best use social media to help achieve them.
For example, if one of your business goals is to appeal more to a young adult demographic, you would do some research to find which platforms this audience uses most and work from there.
By learning how each social media platform works, figuring out where your target audience is, and getting creative and original content to them, you are sure to increase your presence and, in turn, increase your sales.
