Using Social Media For Your Business? : 5 Tips To Get You Motivated

09:16 branding , content marketing , entrepreneur , SEO , small business ideas , small business resources , social media marketing , strategy , udemy 1 Comments

Social media has progressed from its infancy stage, with most companies realizing that to truly engage with their audience effectively, they need to have a social media strategy.


According to an eMarketer report, Worldwide Social Network Users: 2013 Forecast and Comparative Estimates" that nearly one in four people are using social networks with a predicted 13% rise in 2014. Social Media is an effective way to drive traffic to your business, if done correctly, equally it can hinder your progress and put of your customers if done incorrectly. We hear stories everyday of horrific blunders on companies social media profiles, make sure you are not one of them!


Here are a few tips you can implement right now and change the way you look at your companies social media;

Social Media: Brands Voice

Your social accounts are an extension of your brand, customers no longer pick up the phone or write a strongly worded letter to your head office. Their first port of call is your social media profiles, they are both the bulletin board and your customer feedback sheet.


People engage with a brand that has personality. You need to personify your brand on social media, give yourself a clear voice that your customers can get behind. People are bombarded with offers and products in their face for quite a large portion of the day, they pick up their phones to be entertained, so entertain them. Don't be a faceless company that keeps talking about their "AMAZING DEALS!!!"

What & When? 

Timing is everything, if your audience isn't online then you wont get your maximum engagement. Content is the all important factor, your content needs to be relevant, engaging and where applicable it needs to give your customers a call to action. There are many ways to measure when your audience is online and what content they engage with.
Remember people love pictures and videos!  tweets and Facebook posts have been reported to receive 70% more engagement when a picture or video is attached.
It is time to expand, with a content strategy plan and the right tools you will be able to spread your message across a variety of platforms to maximize your reaches potential; Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, Pintrest.

Keep It Relevant

We understand this may seem like an obvious one, however with the amount of non-followers to this rule, we feel we should talk about this. Lets get one thing straight, your audience are following your social media profile for a few reasons; They have bought your product/service before, have a desire for your product/service or find your profiles to be engaging & entertaining. Don't ruin that by posting irrelevant 'hot-topic' stories just to try to draw an audience.
Be engaging - people like to know that there are real people behind the curtains. Post exciting photos, funny stories and make your customer feel like they are a part of your company. With consistent content you audience will feel they know you as a personality, that is how you win their loyalty.

Think Before You Post

There have been some quite humorous cases of companies not thinking before they post something, however keeping on top of this can save you a few embarrassments while showing your sensitivity to a situation.
For example if a major event happens, make sure to go and check your schedule and edit any upcoming posts that may conflict with the event. There is nothing worse for a brand than appearing insensitive to a current event, this is where relevancy also comes in. Give your condolences where relevant, but try to stay out of unrelated topics. When unsure of what to say, silence is the best policy.

Honesty

Finally, honesty is the best policy. Privacy is slowly decreasing is this online world of ours and sometimes a  digital mistake can be blown out of proportion. If you make a mistake, act human. Apologies and be sincere, if you try to palm off the mistake as 'hacked' or another excuse, there will always be someone there to call you on it. Act with integrity and people will respect your brand.