10 ways to be strategic on social media
The internet, and especially our social media platforms allow us to stay in contact with the world and those around us basically 24/7. We can get the news, the latest fashion updates, and we can do business at all hours of the day. Whether you think that’s a good or a bad thing, you must admit social media is useful. To the point where many a company has been built on a media empire. But how do you get the most out of social media to benefit your company? In our extremely social climate, knowing how to utilize social media platforms can make or break a business. You need to be visible to your audience, post relevant, helpful information all while having a healthy balance between business and humanity. Okay, okay, I know it sounds like a lot, so we’ve done a little research and compiled 10 ways for you to help boost your business persona on your social platforms.
Determine your target market
One of the first items to check off your list when figuring out how to successfully operate your social media is to find your target audience. And the best way to do that is by examining your analytics. If you don’t know what analytics are, this is the data that your site or page collect when people visit. Analytics can tell you the average age of your audience, gender, how long they spent on your page and a whole lot more. A great place to get started is with Google Analytics. Here you can learn all about how to implement analytical data in your marketing and advertising strategy.
#Hashtags
While the content of your posts are important, utilizing social media features is essential to showing up on the correct pages in front of the right people. Social media hashtags are a great tool to stay in the know on trends, topics, and events in your industry. Anyone who looks up a hashtag can see what was posted with that hashtag. Using hashtags can really help your brand get more clicks and reach a larger audience. Hashtags
Invest in ads
Another great feature to utilize on social media is putting out ads on different platforms. Social media allows you to use paid ads to promote your business to people who might be interested in your product or service. Sometimes, it can be difficult for your page to naturally find its way onto the feeds of the right person, ads can help you bypass that process. You have to be strategic in what platforms you put ads on. Do your research and find where your audience is most active to find out where you should invest your money.
Be Authentic
Now that you know what demographic you’re trying to cater your content to, what kind of content should you be making? One of the most important things to keep in mind when creating content is how you can stay authentic to your brand and to your audience. A lot of social media feels fabricated, or fake. People gravitate toward genuine things. If you want to resonate with your audience, do your best to include photos of people with your product or photos of your team. Another great way to provide that element of humanity and show how good you are at your business is to include client success stories. Show your audience that you genuinely care about your clientele!
Target your Niche
After studying the analytics as they relate to your social media audience and activity, you can decide what direction you should drive your content. It’s extremely tempting to try and copy or follow other brands marketing decisions when it comes to what to post and talk about. The best way to reach your audience is to stay true to your brand. Knowing your how your audience interacts and reacts to your content can help your brand a lot. You can’t cater to everyone, so focus on your ideal client.
Consistent Engagement
Now that you’ve targeted your ideal audience, and decided what you’re going to post about, its time to interact with your audience. Find opportunities to keep your audience up to date on new projects or promotions you have going on. Share new products, include blogs and create unique insights to benefit your ideal follower. When it comes to content and interacting with followers, keep your brand consistent across each platform. Engage your followers and give social media users a reason to follow you. Through your contact with followers on social media, you can make your audience feel valued through personalized messages and responses. Social media is always changing and evolving, so find new and innovative ways to be connected with your audience!
Be a source of knowledge
A great way to have people visit your platforms is to be a source of knowledge. You may be thinking…. Okay I’m not google… how can I do that? In your industry, find ways to answer questions or be available to your audience in other ways. For instance, a small boutique may host a Q&A about how they started their business, or about how to shop sustainably. Posting on topics that your business has some sort of expertise in and finding experts to be resources to your audience, shows your followers that you are trustworthy and knowledgeable about your industry.
Stay Relevant
When you are a trustworthy source of knowledge and news on social media, you have to stay up to date on news and the goings-on of your industry. This is where you can utilize hashtags that are trending in your industry. Once you establish your page and company as a reliable source, your followers (and others) may come to you for information.
Tell a story
When you’re scrolling through your personal social media pages, what catches your eye? Pictures of someone on the beach, a pet doing something cute, or maybe its an update on a story you saw the week before. It’s proven that great pictures, headlines and stories grab peoples attention when they are looking through social media. This also goes back to being authentic with your content! People gravitate toward stories that they can relate to as well as real life situations.
Host Giveaways
One of the best ways to promote your business on social media is by hosting giveaways! This can be tailored to the service or product that your business provides. A great way to run a giveaway and promote your business is to also partner with a few other companies and host the giveaway together. That way, you have more contributors and what feels like a bigger gift to win. Try promoting a new product that you have just released or something you’d like to bring more attention to. I mean, who doesn’t love free stuff?
We hope you find these few tips and trick helpful! It can take a little bit of practice, but you can definitely make your social media work for you!
