1. Plan to succeed
Social media can be a time consuming platform if you run it without a plan. You might think planning takes time you don’t have, but in reality it saves time in the long run and always produces stronger results.
Consider who you want to target, and the messages you want them to see. To build a connection with your audience, you need to have a clear understanding of the problem your product or service solves for them.
It’s also worth considering how best your business can be showcased – for example, if you’re selling food, people eat with their eyes first, so imagery is key! And it doesn’t take expensive equipment to create striking imagery – most smartphones now have great quality built-in cameras, so get snapping. If you’re not sure which angles are best, Google is your friend. There are plenty of articles online to guide, such as this helpful post from COOKIE + kate.
2. Be selective
Make sure you pick the appropriate platform to reach your target audience. Again, if you’re selling anything that lends itself to eye-catching imagery then you should consider Instagram. If your business is targeting corporate clients, then go for LinkedIn, and if you’re targeting a wide range of people and selling B2C, Facebook is for you.
That said, for many businesses Facebook is a good option for a primary channel as you can post images, text, links and videos to a broad range of people. And of course, it’s easy to post content across channels – just be sure to tailor it to your audience, editing any tags or reducing word count where necessary.
3. Consistency is key
Businesses with the best page growth and engagement are those that post consistently. There’s plenty of advice out there on when and how often to post, but of course practically this comes down to resource. If you can be efficient, and follow a social media plan you’ve already saved yourself time. Consider any key calendar dates, where you are able to have a voice or promote a product or service (Christmas, Mother’s Day, summer holidays to name a few). Next, consider any events and product or service launches, and plan social media posts in the run up, too.
Think about how often you can post, and which time of day you feel your followers will be active on social media. Often during the commute, coffee breaks and lunch time work well – but if you can, test different times of the day to learn what works best for your business.
Try to post at least once a week to keep your audience engaged, and to keep your brand fresh in their mind.
4. Tell your story
There’s always a person behind the brand, and people connect with people or a reason over a product. Consider your ‘why’ — why did you start the business? What drives you to grow it? What do you believe in? Consumers now more than ever care about the mission and values of a business, and often buy into this more than a product — which, chances are, a lot of businesses are selling.
Simon Sinek’s summed this up well in saying ‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’ (watch his TED talk here for the full explanation). So tell people why you’re doing it, and stay true to that ‘why’. Now consumers can search through thousands of businesses in seconds online looking for a single product or service, why would they choose yours? What qualities or unique selling points do you want to stand out?
Beyond your story, consider what you want your brand to be known for. Is it excellent customer service? Is it unbeatable quality? Is it the lowest prices? Whatever it is, make sure this comes through consistently in your messaging.
5. Let your customers do the selling
People listen to people. So if a customer is happy with your services, ask them if they’ll write a review. Seeing first-hand accounts of what it’s like to work with you plays a big part in the decision making process of a consumer. In fact, data shows that about 95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase, and purchase likelihood increases by 15% when these reviews are verified rather than anonymous (Spiegel).
If you feel you need support with your social media strategy, writing posts or managing your channel then don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss how we could help.