How to Leverage Social Media For Your Business 👍🏼
May 6, 2022 | Share: |
4.5 minute read
Social media marketing is nothing new. But that doesn’t mean you can just write it off.
There’s 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??
We’re breaking it all down this week and giving you all the insider tricks of the trade. It’s all below 👇🏽👇🏽
Where to Start:
Learn as much as Possible About Your Audience
Before you start posting on social media, you need to understand who your audience is. Luckily, this shouldn’t differ too far from your business’s 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.
Think Strategically
Optimize Content for Each Platform
Not all platforms are built the same. While it’s easy to place “social media” 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 post’s ability to succeed.
We’re 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:
Ideal Image Size: 1,200 x 630 pixels
Recommended Video Length: 15 seconds to 2 minutes
Copy: Posts with 50 – 150 characters are likely to receive more engagements depending on your industry.
Ideal Image Size: Square: 1,080 x 1,080 Vertical: 1,080 x 1,350 Landscape 1,080 x 566
Recommended Video Length: Grid video: 60 seconds or less Reel: 30 seconds
Copy: Links aren’t clickable within captions. If many of your calls to actions include links, we recommend adding a separate link dashboard in your profile’s bio and including “Link In Bio” within your captions. Limit to 30 hashtags.
Ideal Image Size: Stream Photo: 440 x 220 1,600 x 1,900
Recommended Video Length: 45 seconds
Copy: 280 character limit, use only vital hashtags, and keep your message brief.
Ideal Image Size: Video Thumbnail: Minimum 1280 x 720
Recommended Video Length: 15 minutes
Copy: Titles are limited to 70 characters. Descriptions have a limit of 5,000 but we recommend keeping that copy brief and to the point. We like using bullet points to highlight what the video is about.
Ideal Image Size: Link post: 1,200 x 628 Photo: 1,200 x 628
Recommended Video Length: 30 seconds
Copy: For articles, long-form (~2,000 words) typically performs best on LinkedIn. For basic posts, the caption will be cut off with the “See More” button at around 140 characters.
Recommended Video Length: 30 seconds
Copy: Short and sweet. Stick to one themed hashtag.
Balance Promotional and Helpful Content
Ideally, it would be great to just use your social platforms to promote your brand in every post. And hey, no one’s stopping you from doing so if that’s what you want to do. But we think you’ll 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 don’t just give them out freely. You have to provide something of value in return. Which means the content you put out can’t 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 “boring” 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 😉
Be Consistent
Social media is never stagnant. It doesn’t 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, you’ve gotta keep up. Establishing a schedule is the best way to stay organized and ensure that your social media marketing doesn’t 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 teenager’s 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 isn’t working, try another! It’s 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.
Get Creative
Engage Followers
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 they’re not being addressed. But even beyond that, anyone who visits your page will see that you aren’t responding to your audience. Despite your intention, it could come across as neglectful, and your audience might take away that you don’t care about them.
Of course, you don’t 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.
Pay to Promote your best posts
If you worked hard on a piece of content and want to make sure it gets seen by as many people as possible, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a little boost. However, we don’t 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 don’t see the value in it. But because there’s 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, it’s 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:
– The Multi-Million Dollar Question: Do You Need Paid Ads?
Offer Rewards or Promotions
People love promotions and deals. It’s human nature. People love to feel like they’re “in” 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 “Act Now” 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.
ANALYZE AND OPTIMIZE
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 aren’t working. It takes time to nail down which strategies work best and why, so be patient and never be afraid to ask. Seriously. If you’re unsure what kind of content your audience wants, ask them! You’ll get the answers you need, and it’ll show your followers that you care about their experiences. It’s a win win.
And of course, if you need any help along the way, you’ve always got us!
We’re continually evolving over here at INDIRAP. Whether it’s the content we’re putting out, the brands we look to for inspiration, or the technology we use. We’re never satisfied standing still.
So if you’re looking for a creative partner to constantly challenge you and help you grow, you’ve come to the right place.
