Social media isn’t going away anytime soon, so go ahead and join the millions of other businesses that utilize social media marketing if you haven’t already. Social media networks are more popular than ever and are used by many companies as a tool for connecting with their audience, building a brand persona, making sales, and spreading general brand awareness. However, it’s not enough to simply create a few social media accounts for your business and post on them when you happen to think of something interesting to share. There are some social media marketing dos and don’ts to social media marketing that will either gain your customers or end up a waste of time.
How To Gain Customers Through Social Media
Make Sure Your Social Profiles are Complete and Updated
Before you start posting, you want to be sure each social media profile is 100% complete. That includes things like the bio, location, profile photo, and link to your website. Some platforms, like Twitter and Instagram, keep it somewhat simple, while others like Facebook, have a much more detailed profile. Make sure you take the time to log in and add the necessary information to each. Doing this before you start posting will help you put your best foot forward with those new followers you are hoping to snag.
Be Thoughtful With What You Share
The things that you post become a representation of your business, so having a clear objective is essential. Be sure that the content you’re putting into the world is relevant to your organization and represents the message you want to send. If you have a specific target audience in mind, take their beliefs and attitudes into account as well. Identifying where your business and your audience overlap can steer you toward the most effective content.
Post Regularly, but Don’t Go Overboard
One of the big questions surrounding social media marketing is how often a business should be posting. There are some varying answers, and it can depend on your audience and the specific platform, but a general rule of thumb is to post quality content consistently. For some platforms like Facebook or Instagram, you may want to post three times per week or even once per day. However, for platforms like Twitter, some say a minimum of three per day is acceptable with a maximum of 30 times per day. But remember, these are just estimates. You will have to figure out what frequency works best for your business specifically.
Keep it Social
No one likes to be part of a conversation that is one-sided. If you’ve been the silent party to one of these “chats,” you know it can leave you feeling left out, bored, and ready to move on to something more interesting. Your social media streams can have this effect if you’re not intentional about creating content that is engaging and instead are dropping knowledge bombs on your followers day after day with no intent to create a dialogue. Ask questions, engage with other posts, respond to comments, and make your audience feel like a part of the conversation.
You Might Be Wasting Time On Social Media If…
You’re Spamming Your Audience
While you should be engaging with your audience, don’t go crazy and create a situation where you are the only thing they see in their feeds. That’s how you get unfollowed. Retweet, like, comment, share and post enough to maintain your audience without pushing them away.
You Only Ever Post Text That Sounds Robotic
It can feel strange to switch from using social media personally to using it professionally. Many people feel so nervous about what tone and style are appropriate that they end up sounding unnatural or stiff. The tone should be informative but still relaxed. Too much industry jargon might cause people to scroll right past you. Don’t forget to use intriguing images with your text, infographics to catch people’s attention, and videos that are engaging.
You Ignore Negative Comments or Reviews
These days the internet is full of trolls who just want to argue with strangers who they will never meet in real life. If you get those kinds of people commenting on your personal page, sometimes it is best to ignore them and move on. But when it comes to your business social media, you will definitely want to address any concerns or complaints. Do not delete bad posts (unless, of course, it is a random person using profanity or other offensive language that insults your real customers). For real customers with a concern, start a dialogue with them and offer to chat via phone, email, or private message to resolve the issue. It lets potential customers see that you care.
You Forget To Add Links
You won’t get many customers to your website if you don’t give them the link to get there. So make sure you are linking to your blog, landing page, e-commerce store, or wherever you want them to end up. Even if you provide your website URL in your profile bio, that doesn’t mean everyone who sees a post from you will go to your page and look for the link.
Let’s Get Social
These social media marketing dos and don’ts are just the tip of the iceberg. If your business needs help getting your social media in shape, reach out to the Evoke Group today (and follow us on social media, of course).