Between ‘insta-this’ and ‘snap-that’, simply knowing which social media to use, when and how is a challenge in itself. As a business owner, you want to focus on your product and service — not making social media your life’s work. We hear you. That’s why we’ve got a few tips that’ll help you put the right foot forward and make sure you are spending your energy in the most effective and efficient way possible.
Social media can be an important part of marketing for any business looking to reach their audience and stay in touch on a regular basis. But really, where to start?
Pick your horse and focus
Social media is shiny and new — the temptation to use every single one at the same time is strong. After all, more is better, right? But the fact is, as a business owner, we’re always short on time and resources. So instead of diverting your valuable resource across seven different channels, consider focusing only on two or three.
For example, let’s say you run a small, novelty gift shop. The value and uniqueness of your products are probably best communicated through photos. Therefore, picking social media platforms that focus on image sharing (such as Facebook & Instagram) would be the place to start. Additionally, consider a Pinterest account that shows off cool, novelty gifts that capture the attention of your audience.
Alternatively, maybe you own a small accounting firm. As a professional services company, you want to appear knowledgeable and credible, so your content and channel choices will be a more text-based approach. Generating whitepapers and other written content on LinkedIn would be the first place to start. Perhaps creating a SlideShare account (part of LinkedIn) to share slides of presentations your business gives and a Twitter account that’s focused on topical industry news would be the perfect mix for your business.
The takeaway is to understand the strength of social media channels while picking the cream of the crop that would best fit your needs. Start with just one or two and focus on developing content and a readership for those channels.
Make a Commitment
Now that you have focus, let’s talk about commitment. Social media for businesses can be a real challenge. It’s hard to grow an audience, produce great content and encourage engagement. All too often, businesses give up in just a few months before they really had a chance to give it a fair shake.
Generally speaking, it takes a minimum of eight months to one year to really get the hang of social media. Not only on the technical aspects of the platform but, more importantly, what content your audience responds to and what they don’t.
It all starts with planning
Create a social media strategy and write it down. The “strategy” doesn’t have to be intimidating, complicated or even complete. Start with “why” people would follow you on social media. Then, generate a list of content ideas, produce a few weeks-worth and fill them in on a calendar. Start modestly, perhaps two posts per week, and see how your audience responds to your content and adjust accordingly.
Remember, your social media is a living, breathing entity. A content plan is helpful to bring structure, but try to be flexible at the same time to respond to changes in your industry and your audience.
Smile! And show off your personality
Be YOU on social media. Take a second to think about brands that you already follow on social media. What makes them special? Chances are those brands you think of will have a unique tone of voice that humanizes their brand. For example, Westjet is always friendly and funny and Nike is always empowering
to athletes.
The tone and voice of your brand must translate to your social media in a way that’s authentic. Establishing this tone not only helps you solidify your brand across the internet but also helps you attract the right customer. But remember: once you settle on a tone and voice, always be consistent. Before posting a piece of content, always ask yourself: does this content fit my brand’s personality? If the answer is yes,
post away!
Boost organic content to a targeted audience
Social media can also be a great first entry into digital advertising. Organic social media posts (traditional posts that you make on your social channel) is the perfect testing ground for paid ads. Since you can gauge interest from your audience on those organic posts, you can make smarter decisions about which post you should put some advertising dollars behind.
As you continue to make posts, take notice of the particular post that is gathering a lot of attention — both in engagement (comments, shares etc.) and reach. A good way to make that organic post go further is by “boosting” that post with some advertising dollars. Advertising will let you target audiences who have shown interest in your competitor or based on demographics, like location, age and other interests. Since the organic post you are boosting has already proven itself to be a winner, the chances of seeing a return is much greater.
That’s it! Social media doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Follow these simple tips and you’ll find managing your different channels to be both more streamlined and productive. Happy posting!
Written by Xi Yan
Business & Digital Strategist
www.red-rhino.com