5 Things You Should START Doing on Social Media for Your Business

Posted on May 11, 2017 in Social Media

After writing a blog on Things you SHOULDN’T do on your Social Media Business Channel’s, I found it appropriate to author a second blog on what you SHOULD be doing. I hope this quick read adds some value to your marketing efforts.

PAY TO PLAY

I chose to lead with this statement because it makes me cringe when people say, “social media is free”. Let me dispel this – SOCIAL MEDIA IS NO LONGER FREE. Unless you can catch lightning in a bottle with every piece of content that you create, you are going to have a very hard time reaching an audience without shedding out some advertising dollars and some professional help (which leads to my second point below). Good news is – the advertising platforms have become extremely advanced in their ability to target a very specific demographic. This allows you to focus your budget on an audience who will be most likely to interact with your brand, and more importantly help you reach your marketing goals.

HIRE A PROFESSIONAL

Since many people have been taught that “social media is free”, a great deal of business owners have the perception that it doesn’t hold the same value as other marketing vessels. The result? The receptionist at work who has an active Instagram account is put in charge of the companies’ social media presence. OR maybe it’s the owners 19-year-old daughter who is a barista at a local coffee shop who just seems like she knows social media. The point is, social media is not something you let the interns run. It is a vessel that needs to be incorporated into your entire marketing strategy, not treated as a separate unit. Sure, the way you promote content on social is going to be different than a traditional TV ad, but everything needs to work together seamlessly. Not sure what that means? Then hire a professional!

ENGAGE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

The beauty of social media is the one-on-one connection brands can have with their audience – no matter the size of their corporation. If you are promoting interesting content, chances are your audience is engaging with your page. This is a prime opportunity for you to engage back with them, and create brand advocacy. Community management on your profiles is transparent customer service. Greet your guest’s, treat them right, add value, and they will return more frequently to do business with you.

RESEARCH AND PLAN

Whether you realize it or not, only a few weeks after posting on your social channels in a consistent fashion, you will have a large amount of data at your fingertips that can help bring your efforts to the next level. For example – what content is getting the most engagement? Reach? Web clicks? Direct sales? These valuable data points are the building blocks of deciding what you will promote on social media, and then creating a posting strategy around that. Inexpensive tools like Sproutsocial and Hootsuite give you the ability to analyze this data seamlessly, and then schedule future content in advance via their calendar feature.

CREATE GREAT CONTENT

I don’t care how much money you spend – if your content doesn’t resonate with your audience in a way that is going to get them to respond, you’re not going to get the results you are looking for. Think about when you’re on Facebook or LinkedIn, and the amount of garbage you scroll past in your newsfeed. Have you ever really thought why that is? Simply put – it’s not grabbing your attention. As a marketer, it is your job to tell your brands story in a way that is going to best help achieve your goals.

To capitalize on the point above, if you’re still reading, not only did we capture your attention, but we were able to keep it for a couple of minutes. Have questions? Comment below or give us a call at 248-579-9972.