Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, the list goes on. Does your business really need social media? Let’s discuss the value of social media and how to find the right fit for your business.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, the list goes on. Does your business really need social media? Let’s discuss the value of social media and how to find the right fit for your business.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The statistics show social media is very much part of everyday life. If your company is not utilizing it, you are leaving money on the table. Especially considering how the way business has changed in the last year.
The tricky part is determining how and where you should be focusing your online marketing efforts. We are here to help with a few quick social media tips to either get you started on the right path or perhaps help you streamline your current social media practices.
Every business should have its own personalized social media plan. Why? You wouldn’t use another company’s business plan, so why would you use their marketing plan?
The first thing you need to determine is what type of social media your target audience uses. Research is critical here. Spend time on these social media outlets to see if your audience is there and engaging.
Another great way to find your viewers is to utilize your email list. Send out a quick survey. How did they learn about you? Which social media do they prefer? Now take all that data and put it to work for you.
Avoid the thought process of attempting to be on every platform. Focus instead on the outlets that your research highlighted would have the most significant impact. However, having at least a basic understanding of all the different social media outlets is always advisable.
This way, you are ready to shift gears if there proves to be a need. Not to mention that there always seems to be something new, and you will need to determine if it’s a good fit for your social media marketing plan.
You have identified the social media outlets that are best suited to your company. Now it’s time to start sharing. You may be tempted to post the same content across all channels, but this would be a mistake.
Each social media channel has its own quirks and nuances. Be sure you are aware of them and adjust accordingly.
For instance, my pet peeve is when I see a post on Facebook that says, “link is in the bio.” Clearly, this post originated on Instagram and was shared to its corresponding Facebook page, or perhaps it was done using a posting service.
Either way, you just told your followers that they weren’t worth your time to individualize each post, not to mention the fact that there is no accessible link for them to click.
Being mindful of these intricacies and taking the extra time will ensure your followers’ better experience and greater engagement likelihood.
Part of the experimentation process is to see what will engage your followers. Be open to changing things up accordingly. Being flexible is an essential part of social media engagement.
This is especially true if you are a larger company. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of meetings – to discuss meetings – that discussed needed changes. Social media moves at lightning speed; you need to be rolling with it.
Social Media Statistics:
So you have found your audience and determined what they like; you now have the ability and privilege to start content planning. This is where you begin to see the magic. Quality content planning builds trust with your audience. That is getting increasingly harder in today’s media-driven climate.
What do I mean by quality content? If you are just rehashing old content, news, or slapping something together that’s “good enough”, your audience can tell. Quality content is thoughtfully researched, insightful, educating, and entertaining.
A good gauge that your content is working is the amount of engagement you are receiving. Your aim should be more than just “likes”. You want your followers to share and comment on your content. This tells the little algorithm bots that your content is worth bumping you up in the feeds.
The steps outlined here are just the beginning. Social media marketing has many different facets. There is so much advice out there. Beware of the influencer that is telling you how this shortcut will get you thousands of followers.
At the end of the day, it comes down to hard work. What you put in is what you will get out. Educate yourself. Continue to grow. And if social media marketing is not your wheelhouse, reach out to a reputable company for help.
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