Are you using social media as part of your marketing strategy?
It's a question that's becoming more and more relevant in this digitally enhanced world of ours. The majority of businesses have some sort of social media presence, sure. A couple of Facebook posts here and there, maybe some LinkedIn or a touch of Twitter.
But, are they doing it well? Are they getting a return on their social media investment?
If you're new to social media and its best practices, it can be difficult to know what you need to do to create a strong and rewarding presence. However, with millions of people on these channels each hour of each day, it would be silly to ignore this medium due just because you don't really know what to do with it.
To give you a helping hand, we've come up with these social media best practices and tips that will help you to get your social up off the ground and running.
Know Your Audience
In the game of social media, it is essential that you really understand who you're talking to. Spend some time doing some research into your target audience - who they are, what they do and what they're interested in.
Understanding your buyer will help you to develop an effective social media strategy.
Posting loads of messages to LinkedIn when your consumers are all on Twitter and Facebook won't give you the return you're looking for. You've got to go to them.
Create Posts That Aren't All About You
In order to engage and delight your audience, you have to create content that actually interests them. Instead of pushing the hard sell in their face, try posting about something that will help them. It could be a free eBook or a "how to" article, it doesn't matter so long as it is useful to your consumers.
If you're posting messages that are of interest to your customers, your customers will be interested in you.
Google+ is Seriously Powerful
At The Kingdom, we are massive fans of the Google+ platform. Unlike other social media channels where you have to pay to play, Google+ gives you unrestricted access to your digital audience.
Whatever you post, your consumers will see - and this is hugely powerful.
If you're looking to increase the effectiveness of your social media strategy, it is worthwhile to consider including Google+. If you'd like to learn more about Google+, this article may be of use to you.
Attach Images to Everything
We are visual beings by nature. Pictures grab our attention. So, why not incorporate them into your social media?
Posts on social media that include some form of image are far, far more likely to get engagement and clicks.
They draw in the viewer, enticing them to learn more about what you have to say. Highly visual platforms such as Instagram can be fantastically powerful channels if utilised correctly - even more so if you know your audience are more into visuals.
Along the same lines, posting short videos to social media also do brilliantly in terms of reach, engagement and clicks. Look at your business and evaluate what kind of video content you can be creating. It might be a 15-second "tip of the day", or perhaps a montage of you setting up your storefront for Christmas - doesn't matter as long as it's interesting to your audience!
It's About The Clicks, Not The Likes
When operating on social media, it's easy to get sucked into the "likes" obsession. However, this isn't where you should be focusing your attention.
Getting likes on your post and getting click-throughs are two very different things. You might post a message that gets 30 likes but no clicks, and one that gets no likes but 30 clicks. Which one is more important? The clicks of course!
As a rule of thumb, when posting your content, always include a relevant link back to your website. This way, when you've delighted the viewer with your post, they'll then be able to click-through to your website to learn more about what you have to say.
Yes, social media can be a little tricky to master. However, by following these simple tips, you'll be able to develop a social media strategy that drives traffic and brings people closer to your brand.
Would you like to learn more about how to build a strong social media presence? If so, this article on how to enhance your social media effectiveness may be of use to you.
