Social Media for your business, when used correctly, can be your number one tool for marketing and brand awareness. In fact, over 50% of consumers discover brands or companies through social media. But where do you start?
Who?
Who is your target audience?
Before you start creating content, you need a pretty good idea of who you’re making it for. Picture your target audience in your head; how old are they? What are their jobs, hobbies, interests? Why do they need your products or services?
Once you have your clientele in mind, you can research and discover how to best market to them, and which platforms to create content for. For example, older users typically prefer Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter over platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. They also tend to put economic issues before social, unlike Gen Y and Z, who value diversity, social justice and the environment, and like to see the brands they support doing the same.
What?
What do they want to see?
Social media for business is more than just an advertising tool, it’s a forum for engagement and communication. Connecting with your audience is integral to social media success. So how do you make content that inspires that connection while also marketing your business? And is it really worth it?
There are a couple of different types of posts that can pretty much be used for any business:
- Call to action: Discussing a product or service your business offers, and how it could benefit your followers. You can start off with a question, like “Need ____? We’ve got you covered. Call us today on ____”. Presenting this in a simple but eye-catching manner will grab the attention of users who would be interested in your services.
- Informational: Offering information about a topic within your company’s wheelhouse. Are you a landscaping business? Create a post about low maintenance plants for busy readers. Are you a locksmith? Create a post about the latest developments in home security. These posts not only help curious users find your page, but they also establish yours as a business with experience and expertise in your field. If you have a blog on your company website, you can simply make a post summarising the key points from your latest blog post, and re-direct viewers to continue reading on your site.
- Audience engagement: Connecting with your audience is easiest when you post about things they experience; discussing current affairs, relatable jokes about work or life, and talking about their interests. Although audience engagement doesn’t always have to relate back to your business, doing so is a way of killing two birds with one stone.
- Showcase: Showcasing your work is a great way to market yourselves online. These posts also go great with statistics about how the product helped your previous clients.
- Testimonials: Sharing glowing reviews from your customers is a nice way to market yourselves because it has a more personal touch, and it’s easier for potential clients to trust the word of someone who isn’t a part of the business itself.
When?
When should you be posting?
No matter how good your content is, it only has value if people see it, meaning you need to find the best time to post so it can reach as much of your target audience as possible. The optimal time to post differs depending on the platform, the target demographic, and the type of business, so it’s best to research and find what will work for you. However, as a general rule, posting between 9 AM and noon on weekdays will help you reach a good deal of users.
You should also consider where your target audience is located and when they will best receive your posts. Are your clients in your locale? Or are they international? Remember to take their time zone into account before you post.
Many businesses decide to post on weekends thinking more users will be online, but discover that their posts aren’t received as well because most people don’t appreciate hearing about businesses and work during their time off. However, if you have a business in the domain of event planning, alcohol, leisure activities, or games, the weekend may be a great time to post.
How?
How should you tailor your content to social media?
Regardless of what you’re posting, or why you’re posting it, social media users are accustomed to a certain type of content. Posts that are attention grabbing, simple, and easily digestible are the ones that do the best online.
Social Media is not the place to post an onslaught of information and doing so will alienate your audience. If you have a significant amount of information or images, try breaking it up over multiple, separate graphics, and compile them in an Instagram carousel or Facebook album.
Additionally, having text that is large enough to read, and formatted in a way that is pleasing to the eye will have your posts performing better on socials.
Hashtags and location tagging are also a great way to get your posts seen by a wider audience. Users who look up a hashtag you’ve used, or a place that you’ve tagged, will be able to see your posts.
Most platforms have a poll feature that you should use to your advantage to ask your audience questions. Not only does posting polls or quizzes increase audience engagement, as users prefer content they can easily interact with, it’s also a good way to get feedback and information about your followers. Using data and statistics from your previous posts will play a huge role in improving your brand’s online presence.
To sum everything up; for every step of the way, you should try to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience to understand how they would receive the content you’re posting. Social Media wasn’t designed with brands and businesses in mind, it is run for and by the people. It’s about community, connection, and communication, and when you forget that, your business suffers. Instead of creating another faceless marketing machine, use your social media as a forum to get to know your customers, and bring a personal touch to your brand.
Of course, if social media for business isn’t something that you’re interested in undertaking, we totally understand. Luckily, we’re here to help – and our Method is your success! Get in touch today.
