4 Steps to #Winning Social Media
Social media is one of the fastest growing and ever-changing media platforms in existence. What began as an online community for the younger generations, now encompasses billions of people across the world. It is for this reason that social media has become not only a viable channel for businesses to reach their audience but a necessary one. However, managing social media for your business is much different than managing your personal social presence. Follow these guidelines to succeed in the social business world.
Connect with your followers
Social media provides an informal environment where you can really interact with your audience. These people are following you by choice because they are interested in what you have to say, so by all means – say something relevant! One way to grow your social following is by providing a benefit exclusively for your social media followers. What are they getting out of following you or liking your page? Reward them with special offers, discounts, and useful tips so they will look forward to seeing (and sharing) your posts.
Social media content ideas:
- Identify and alleviate your audience's pain points
- Humorous, inspiring, or motivational quotes
- Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
- Interesting statistics or data
- Polls, or ask for testimonials or other feedback
- Post "a day in the life" of your staff members
- Share random tips
- Re-post fan photos - they'll love seeing your acknowledgment and it will encourage them to continue to support you
- Link to useful industry articles
- Contests and special offers exclusively for your social media followers
Build a relationship
Social media provides an informal environment where you can really interact with your audience. These people are following you by choice because they are interested in what you have to say, so by all means – say something relevant! One way to grow your social following is by providing a benefit exclusively for your social media followers. What are they getting out of following you or liking your page? Reward them with special offers, discounts, and useful tips so they will look forward to seeing (and sharing) your posts.
Mix it up
Better content means more visibility. Use multimedia, such as attention-grabbing photos, videos, and infographics, to attract people and make your posts more share-worthy. Recent studies show Facebook posts containing images garner as much as 120 percent more engagement than posts of any other kind. Infographics are also extremely effective tools to engage with your audience because they display complex information in a simple, aesthetically pleasing way.
Break the rules
A quick Google search will come up with hundreds of rules for succeeding on social media, such as the most effective number of characters for a Twitter post, but when it comes down to it, it's really all about the meaning of your message to your specific audience. Try a few strategies and measure your results to see what kinds of posts get the most engagement. Soon, you’ll learn what your followers respond best to and can post similar content.
Remember, social media isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. What works for one company won’t necessarily work for yours. It takes some trial and error to find the right strategy for your business, but the important thing is that you’re working toward growing your social presence and engaging your audience.
Take a moment to think about what posts have worked for your company and what kinds were flops. Whenever you feel like you’re at your wit’s end, refer to this article for tips and tricks how to #win at social media.