Being able to achieve a large presence on social media is absolutely one of the top ways to reach consumers. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, or one of the countless other options, you have the opportunity to reach a huge user base with a high amount of traffic and opportunities to market your brand. Here are some of the biggest things to keep in mind when growing your social media platforms.
1. Know how to use the platform
If you want to be able to use social media to your best ability, you need to familiarize yourself with how each one works. There are important features like “retweets” or your Facebook “feeling/activity”. Being able to capitalize on all of the unique features that the different platforms have to offer can provide you with an edge over other companies and reach your target audience to the best of your ability.
2. Know your audience
An important aspect of the different platforms is their user base. For example, with Facebook you can reach a more mature and aged audience, while with Instagram or Twitter you can expect a younger audience. A good example of a brand that knows their audience is Wendy’s. They have a very successful Twitter account where they regularly engage in playful banter with competitors and use language much more in sync with a younger crowd.
3. Have Links Back and Forth from Social Media Accounts to Your Website
In order to reach people more effectively, it is essential to have your accounts linked so that consumers can better navigate from your media accounts to your actual website and vice versa. Integration and ease of use is extremely important, otherwise you may reach your audience but not give them the access they need.
4. Have Quality Content
Make sure to share all important events coming up, any news you may have, and provide it all in aesthetic manner to ensure the highest engagement. Displaying showcases of new products or any sales/discounts is also a must.
5. Engage With As Many People as Possible
People like when the account is interactive and will actually engage with their followers. Replying to questions that people have or even commenting on people’s posts about a similar topic is a very useful strategy. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have topics that are categorized by hashtags and can be searched to find relevant posts. If you have a website that sells pet products, you can search for #puppylove and find recent posts from people to engage with. Try commenting “aww cute puppy!” or something similar to connect with people.
6. Post Consistently at a Reasonable Amount
It is important to post at a regular rate so that your followers won’t lose interest, while be weary not to flood their newsfeed with your brand. Find a healthy amount of maybe a post or two a day. A helpful tip is to schedule your posts out in advance and have them automatically sent out at a specified time.
7. Ask Clients and Friends to Share or Connect
By reaching out to satisfied people or people who are familiar with your product, you can have them share or review your service to branch out your following and engage with more people. Ask people if they’ll share your page on Facebook, or give you a retweet on Twitter so that you have all of your client’s following as a new base to spread your message.
When creating any Social Media account there are many goals to consider and questions to ask. Who am I trying to reach? What should my brand look like? How can I engage with my audience? It is important to keep in mind the different social network platforms, and which tools are at your disposal. Know how you can use the different features and different audiences of the different platform and determine what approach best fits your company. With a little time and a little practice, you will soon be utilizing the most interactive and connected platform to really create a name for yourself.
