Social media is one of the best ways for businesses and brands to connect directly with their customers. Whether you use social media channels as customer service hotlines or just ways to have loads of fun with your client base, these powerful tools are your best way to access an online audience. But of course, having a business account on these hugely popular websites isn’t a guarantee of success. How’s your business social media strategy?
How do you use your business’s social media to achieve your goals? Learn how to improve your strategy and direct more traffic to your website! Click To Tweet
Increase Brand Awareness Online
SEO, PPC, website optimization, and online ads are just the first part of gaining new customers. Present your business on social media to attract more casual browsers and earn free publicity through likes and shares! If you don’t already have a strategy, now’s the time to make one. Here’s what you need to do:
- Determine your goals
- Research
- Assess your current situation
- Get inspired!
- Make a schedule
1) Determine Your Goals
Likes, follows, and retweets are great for online visibility, but they can’t make you any money. Your ultimate goals for using social media platforms should relate to your bottom line. Do you want to focus on attracting new customers or encouraging existing customers to buy more? Would you rather just focus on getting your brand name out there? Whichever you choose will influence your entire social media strategy, so choose wisely. Determine your biggest needs and focus on how to meet them.
2) Research
Before you start posting, you need to learn more about your client base. Where do they live? What gender are they? How old are they? When do they tend to engage with social media the most? (More on this later.) Based on this information and more, keep track of the social media posts they tend to “like” and view more frequently. While still retaining your brand identity, you’ll want to try appealing to your target audience at the same time.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to research your competition too! How are they attracting followers and promoting themselves online? Learn from their success to boost your own online visibility.
3) Assess Your Current Situation
Chances are, your business has at least one dedicated social media platform already. But is it doing well? Examine your current posting strategy and schedule and watch how much feedback you get from your followers. If you find that part of your current strategy is performing well, keep it up! Meanwhile, identify anything that’s hindering you.
Pro Tip: If your competition is successfully creating a social media presence on a certain platform, make an account for that same platform to compete. Aim for the platforms best suited to your brand and business type.
4) Get Inspired!
Based on what you know your target audience will enjoy, what will you post? This is your chance to get creative! Share content from your website, interesting articles from industry leaders, raving reviews, eye-catching photos or graphics, and anything you can think of that will make you look great to potential clients.
Your customer base is also a great source of content ideas. Track what they’re talking about and post your own take on the situation. Appeal directly to your customers through their interests or concerns.
5) Make a Schedule
One sure-fire way to sabotage your business social media strategy is an unpredictable posting schedule. After all, who wants to follow a Facebook account that’s silent for weeks and then posts dozens of images and articles within 24 hours? Customers prefer to see your posts spread out among their normal feed. More importantly, sticking to a consistent schedule lets your followers know when to check your page for new content.
Remember earlier when you checked what time of day your clients browse social media and engage with posts? Here’s where that comes into play. To get the most online visibility, keep track of when your customers are active and schedule your posts around those times. Not only does this encourage more immediate engagement with your posts, but it also shows your audience you’re willing to provide them with excellent content at their convenience.
Take Advantage of Social Media Channels!
In an internet-focused world, the question is no longer “Should my business/brand use social media?” Rather, the question is “How can my business/brand use social media to increase sales?” An effective business social media strategy should be one of the first things you create to begin building your online image. Once you’ve identified your social media goals and audience preferences, it’s time to start generating more conversions!
Join the conversation for more tips on optimizing social media for your business venture.