If more people know about you, more people – over time – will be likely to interact with you.
Social media offers many big opportunities for small businesses. But your brand needs to use social media in the right way. If you don’t, you’re wasting precious time.
Here are five tips on how to use social media in an intelligent and engaging way, as compiled by Social Media Explorer:
Understand the market
Like in any marketing environment, you must first understand your target market. The better you can know your audience, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to reach them in an authentic and effective way.
Reach your market where they spend their time. You need to understand which social media platforms your target market like to use:
If the target customer demographic of a business is not on Instagram, then no matter how beautiful the posts are, the effort will not have any pay-off.
Devise a plan
Don’t send out random advertisements at random times. The better the structure of your marketing plan, the better the results will be.
Lay out what type of content you plan to use, and how often you want to use it on each platform. You also need to plan when you want to use this content.
You can also use influencers or sponsorships to help boost your following.
Concentrate on value
Think very carefully and specifically about what your particular business is. And what it does. And how it’s different to your competitors.
What are the values of your business?
Do business practices bring an inspirational or educational value? Can the products help others attain a particular lifestyle?
Focus on building community and building relationships. If your business is personable and likeable, you audience will be more likely to trust you – and therefore keep buying from you.
Quality over quantity
We all know brands who oversaturate social media platforms with constant ads and marketing. And we all know that this can be irritating.
It’s therefore important for brands to value quality over quantity. One well-considered ad is much more valuable than dozens of poor ads.
You should also focus on creating a consistent and streamlined brand aesthetic.
It can be helpful to work with designers, photographers, and corporate video producers. These companies specialize in visual storytelling and can add a refreshing perspective.
Engage and interact
Engage, interact and network with as many people as you can. Interact with customers, influencers and even competitors. Use comments, messages and likes to build awareness.
If more people know about you, more people – over time – will be likely to interact with you.
You can do this in casual ways via Facebook and Instagram, or in a more professional way via LinkedIn.
By sharing relevant community events, articles, and opportunities, a business can build a robust network.
If you use these tips wisely, you’ll reach your audience in a better way, grow your network and appeal to your target market. And ultimately, that all means more success and more profit.