Starting up a social media presence for your business can be overwhelming. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’re wondering if social media is really so important. Maybe, like many people, social media just feels intimidating to you and you don’t understand the hype about social media tools such as Facebook video covers.
As it turns out, social media doesn’t have to be so hard! Most user platforms are easy to use—do you think every business that uses social media has a tech whiz? There are endless ways to use social media for your business, and tons of them are simple to do.
Create a Brand
An essential part of using social media for your business has to come before you even start sharing. You have to decide what your business brand is, and stick to it.
Whether you already have a company brand or you’re just starting to brainstorm now, you want your followers to recognize your social media presence by the tone of your content. Are you lighthearted or serious? Do you want your posts to be informal or informative?
It’s not uncommon for people to follow businesses just because they think the businesses are ‘cool.’ Consider making your brand funny, glamorous, or edgy, so future fans know what they’re signing up for.
Creating a scattered and inconsistent social media presence might make your audience think that the same goes for your business. Keeping it consistent makes it easy for people to understand what your business is like in the real world.
Find a Mission
Social media is full of politics, and while your business doesn’t have to take any particular side on a hot-button issue, your followers are sure to have some opinions. Finding a goal to promote, like highlighting your business’ environmental practices or a charity your team contributed to, helps people go from liking your brand to believing in it.
Get Creative
If you do it right, social media is far from boring. Between platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you have dozens of user-friendly ways to reach out to your audience.
While you keep your brand consistent, switching up your tactics can help keep your audience engaged. You can take polls, live stream business events, and create text posts. You can use different platforms for storytelling or sharing videos.
So many people use social media for personal and business use. The more creative you get, the more you’ll stand out to viewers. People scroll past at least a few ads every minute. If you make a big impression, you’ll get a bigger response. Videos are usually always a great idea to grab attention and with tools like the Facebook video downloader, users can even save their favorite videos on their computer or phone to rewatch them later.
Engage Your Audience
Social media is, well, social! It’s a great way to humanize your business and give it a personality. Your audience, whether they are existing clients or potential new customers, want to interact with you.
Consider tactics such as creating giveaways. A common technique is to ask your audience to tag their friends and share your post for the chance to win a discount or some freebies. This gives you nearly free exposure, rather than spending all your money on ads.
You can also encourage your audience to submit their questions for you to answer. This makes them feel heard and valued by your business, not to mention giving them some great new information!
Making your social media presence interactive gives your followers an active role. They’ll have more reasons to follow you, keeping you from losing your audience.
Show Off Your Employees
Take your social media experience a step further by introducing members of your team to your virtual audience. Social media is all about getting people to know your business, so why not show off your best people?
Ask for volunteers for anything from a simple post to a video interview. You can ask them to tell a little bit about themselves or to explain why they love working with you. Showing the work that goes into your business will up your social media game.
If anything, it never hurts to give your employees a little extra attention. Whether that be from you asking for their input or from people online giving positive feedback, involving your people in your social media is a great way to elevate your social media strategy.
Up Your Influence
Social media influencers are more common than ever before, and you’re sure to find someone to feature your products or services. Influencers already have a loyal following who love their brand, so meshing your business with their content is a great way to boost your profits.
You may not have very much flexibility when it comes to branding your own company—maybe it already has an established brand, or your business just doesn’t lend itself well to branding. Skip the headache of trying to force a brand by jumping on to someone else’s!
Maybe you do have a unique and successful brand. If that’s the case, it’s important to find an influencer who has a similar vibe as your business, so you don’t have a mismatch of ideas. For example, a low-key business may not work well with a jet-setting influencer.
Influencers are successful in marketing products because they have their own personal brands. They feature products and services that match what they’re already sharing. They may also be more experienced than you when it comes to connecting to an audience.
Finding someone who can really show off your business to an entirely new group of people is a surefire way to expand your following.
Infographic created by Beantown Media Ventures
Let’s Get Social!
If you haven’t started already, getting your business involved on social media is a wonderful way to tap into a new market full of potential clients. It’s cost-effective and user-friendly. Since so many businesses are using social media already to market themselves, it’s time for you to climb on board!
Social media doesn’t have to be difficult to be effective. As long as you have a clear idea of what your business’ brand should be, work to engage your audience, and are willing to get a little creative, you’re sure to succeed.
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