You may feel that it is vital to have an active social media presence for your business. But you will only be wasting your time if you do not know what you are doing. Getting social media right is an art. Getting things wrong could be detrimental to your brand. Here are some important basics to help you direct your focus so you can get it right.
- First impressions count
Before you even think about writing your first tweet or Facebook update, it is crucial that you get the basics right on your social media profiles. You want great visuals to use as cover and profile images. Keep your bio descriptive but concise, and be sure all your relevant information is listed—contact info, business hours, etc. Branding is crucial. You will use different images across your social media platforms, but make sure everything fits with your brand style. The same is true of the language and style of your updates. Getting these basics right ensures that as your brand grows, your followers will feel you operate a professional company. - Don’t sell all the time
A common mistake new brands make on social media is they immediately use their new profiles as a place to sell. While digital marketing plays a significant role in increasing sales for goods and services, successful social media management requires a balance between communication, engagement and direct marketing. At the start, your principal objective should be to grow your account by gaining new followers and encouraging engagement. Remember, customers will want to learn more about your brand before deciding whether to purchase from you or not. Furthermore, the more successful you are at growing your account and increasing engagement, the easier it will be to divert traffic to your website when you want to promote it. - Be active
One of the biggest keys to social media success is updating your profiles regularly. Of course, this can be tricky if your business does not have a dedicated social media person. Either way, the key is to do what you can and be consistent with it. Even if you manage to secure a viral update, that will only give your social media presence a boost for a day or two. Many people think that you can only find success on social media with viral updates, but you can actually do very well with regular updates that receive a low level of engagement. Focus on consistency rather than a one-off success. - Tailor your content for each platform
A common mistake that brands make is they post the same content across all their social media profiles. Of course, you can get away with this occasionally, but it is worth remembering that every platform is different. So, for example, some social media sites see visual, or video content perform better while others are more conversational in style. There are also more basic considerations to take into account. For example, you will need to adjust images to the correct size for each platform. Failure to do so will make it obvious the image was initially designed for a different purpose, and it looks unprofessional. So, the main message here is you need to put some work into adjusting your content for each platform—and you want to give those that follow you on one platform a reason to also follow you on another. - Interact with your audience
It’s crucial to create content for your audience based on the things they are interested in, rather than just trying to flood the feeds with your latest product. Also, it is critical that you interact and engage with your audience. This can be anything from asking questions and setting polls to responding to comments. Keep in mind that social media is two-way communication. It is a good idea for the vast majority of brands to now have a strong social media presence. Getting things right with digital marketing is not always as simple as it looks. Keep in mind that first impressions count, social media is not always about selling, being active is crucial, content should be tailored for each platform and interact with your audience.