Social media can be a very effective tool for any business…but only if used in the right way. If only it were as simple as posting a couple of messages, sitting back and watching the money roll in! It can be slightly disheartening to put effort into a project, only to see little or no results. However, this is usually due to a lack of strategy at the outset. These pointers should help you to maximise the effectiveness of your social media platforms:
1) Don’t rush into social media marketing without some form of plan!
Firstly, and most importantly, ensure you have an idea of what you want to gain from social media marketing and how you are going to go about achieving it. If you scour Facebook, Twitter etc, you will see thousands of company profiles that were clearly started with the best of intentions, but never got past the first few months, leaving a destitute and lonely page that adds little or no value to the company. Pin-point exactly your objectives at the start of the project, for example, do you want to grow followers on your social accounts, drive traffic to your website, increase brand awareness etc? Once you have decided this, it’s probably worthwhile creating a content calendar for the coming months. This should include any upcoming events/milestones/offers at the company, any trending topics that you can relate your business to etc.
2) Know your audience
Another big mistake that many businesses make is to aimlessly distribute posts without selecting who they actually want to view their content. There are various targeting tools on social media platforms, especially when using paid advertising, that allow you to specifically target relevant people that are likely to interact with you. These tools allow you to focus on age, gender, interests (even to the point of what TV programmes they watch!), hobbies, behaviours etc. Make sure you know your audience inside-out before posting any content.
3) Post regularly
If you want to generate an account/s that people view as trustworthy and engaging, make sure you post content regularly, (one post a day across all platforms as a guideline shouldn’t see you go too far wrong, although this depends on the nature of your company and its audience). By posting regular content, whether that be industry news, images of fun company events, how-to videos etc, people will start to view you as industry leaders, therefore enhancing your reputation.
4) Interact with your customers
Simply posting content will only take you so far. It’s massively important to try and interact with your followers whenever you can. It gives your page that human touch, and is likely to make them more receptive to your brand.
5) DON’T PAY FOR LIKES!
This is a massive mistake and should be avoided at all costs! If you are posting good content regularly but it’s only being seen by fake or completely irrelevant accounts, then you are simply throwing money away. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to building a large social following – just be patient and allow your popularity to grow organically.
What is your social marketing strategy?