Social media marketing is nothing new. But that doesnât mean you can just write it off.
Thereâs a good chance you already use social media for your business, but do you know all the ways you can leverage your profiles to turn your posts into profit??
Weâre breaking it all down this week and giving you all the insider tricks of the trade. Itâs all below .
Before you start posting on social media, you need to understand who your audience is. Luckily, this shouldnât differ too far from your businessâs target demographic.
The key difference is understanding what kind of content your audience is interested in and how that changes from platform to platform.
Does your audience want to be educated? Entertained? Are they looking for a sense of community within your following? Maybe they simply want a more personal experience with customer service.
A great way to gain some insights is by looking at what others are doing. How do your competitors interact via social media, and what content of theirs seems to do well? Take it a step further and research what methods top brands use on social media. This is a great way to give you a leg up in your industry and ensure creative and high-quality content for your audience.
Not all platforms are built the same. While itâs easy to place âsocial mediaâ into one all-encompassing category, not every platform serves the same purpose. Nor do they each adhere to uniform practices when it comes to posting. Facebook differs significantly from Instagram, which differs significantly from Twitter and so on and so on.
Despite the convenience of developing one post for every platform, it may be hindering that specific postâs ability to succeed.
Weâre not saying you have to have a completely unique content schedule for each platform. But making a few minor tweaks can have a huge impact. Here are a few of our tips for each major platform:
Ideally, it would be great to just use your social platforms to promote your brand in every post. And hey, no oneâs stopping you from doing so if thatâs what you want to do. But we think youâll notice pretty quickly that not many people willingly follow social pages that strictly put out ads.
A social media follow is a transaction in some ways. People donât just give them out freely. You have to provide something of value in return. Which means the content you put out canât just be all about you.
What information can you distribute that people might find helpful or interesting? Is there any aspect of your business that your audience would be entertained by? We can guarantee that no matter how âboringâ you think your business is, there are endless possibilities for you to create content that is interesting and captivating. This is the content that will really boost your follows and keep people coming back for more. While simultaneously promoting your brand đ
Social media is never stagnant. It doesnât slow down, stop, or sit still. Meaning your audience will always have a never-ending stream of content to consume. If you want to be able to compete, youâve gotta keep up. Establishing a schedule is the best way to stay organized and ensure that your social media marketing doesnât fall to the wayside.
To find the best times to post, we recommend testing out different times that cater to your specific audience. For instance, if a large portion of your audience is teenagers, think about a teenagerâs schedule. When are they most likely to be on their phones, and when would be the most advantageous time for you to post?
If one time isnât working, try another! Itâs not always an exact science, but the more consistent you are in your posting, the easier it is for your audience to keep up and know what to expect.
One of the worst things you can do on social media is ignore your followers. If you see that your audience is engaging, asking questions, or trying to connect, it should be your top priority to respond to them.
On an individual level, that one follower might get upset that theyâre not being addressed. But even beyond that, anyone who visits your page will see that you arenât responding to your audience. Despite your intention, it could come across as neglectful, and your audience might take away that you donât care about them.
Of course, you donât always have to wait for your followers to engage with you first. Take the lead! Provide your audience with questions to answer, ask them their opinions, and find ways to incentivize their engagements. Adding these engagements makes your content feel more exciting and personal and will allow your audience a chance to feel seen and heard.
If you worked hard on a piece of content and want to make sure it gets seen by as many people as possible, thereâs nothing wrong with giving it a little boost. However, we donât recommend just tossing money behind any average post.
We often have clients asking us about boosting their social media content, and we typically advise against it. Not because we donât see the value in it. But because thereâs a better way. Instead of creating a post and then adding money as an afterthought, we recommend making the post with the idea that it will be boosted. That means cooking the strategy in from the start. Catering the post to the specific audience you want to target and developing multiple versions to split test.
At the end of the day, itâs roughly the same amount of effort but with very different results and much less wasted money.
Want even more tips on Paid Ads, check out these articles:
â The Multi-Million Dollar Question: Do You Need Paid Ads?
â Paid Ads | What Are the Biggest Misconceptions?
â Paid vs. Organic Marketing: Whatâs the Difference?
People love promotions and deals. Itâs human nature. People love to feel like theyâre âinâ on something or getting a deal that not everyone else has access to. So why not use that?
Offering promotions or giveaways on your social channels is a great way to cultivate that âAct Nowâ feeling while incentivizing options for audience interactions.
This is an excellent opportunity to get creative and find unique ways to get people excited about your brand and what you have to offer.
Analytics is arguably the most crucial aspect of managing a social media platform. We said it before, but social media is far from an exact science. What works one day might flop the next.
The best thing you can do is stay on top of how your content is performing, locate patterns, and be prepared to alter and adjust if you notice things arenât working. It takes time to nail down which strategies work best and why, so be patient and never be afraid to ask. Seriously. If youâre unsure what kind of content your audience wants, ask them! Youâll get the answers you need, and itâll show your followers that you care about their experiences. Itâs a win win.
And of course, if you need any help along the way, youâve always got us!