Social media is an easy way to improve your online presence, connect with customers, and gain more visibility. When used to your advantage, social media marketing can build a thriving and loyal community. To reap the benefits of your efforts, you’ll need to know what to do and what not to do. Read on to learn some basic rules for an effective social media strategy:
Social Media Do’s
Keep Profiles Up-to-Date
Social media profiles are a reflection of your business, so you’ll want to guarantee each one is detailed and accurate. Customize your profiles with attractive profile and cover images, and appropriate display names and handles. Include a brief summary about your company, as well as a link to your website and contact information to make it easy for visitors to get in contact and learn more about your business. Whenever your company goes through a change, be it a rebrand or new site URL, you’ll want to update your profiles ASAP. Certain social platforms like Facebook also provide a variety of profile layouts to choose from. Make sure you optimize each asset to your business’s goals to make the most of all your social profiles.
Know the Networks
Each social media platform has its own set of best practices and a different type of audience. Research the various social networks and come up with a social media strategy for each that are tailored to the individual platforms. With a myriad of social media sites and apps, it’s nearly impossible to maintain a presence on all of them. Decide which social sites would be most advantageous for your company and dedicate time to utilizing them correctly rather than spreading yourself too thin.
Interact With Others
Social media is meant to build connections, not just blast out promotional posts. Designate time to engage with your audience by liking and responding to comments to show you’re listening and improve their experience. Encourage followers to interact by posing questions in your posts that start conversations and promote engagement with interactive shares such as contests and giveaways.
Social Media Don’ts
DON’T Make it All About You
A social presence that only posts about their company is at best boring and redundant, and at worst pushy and off-putting. Social shares should be a healthy mix of inside and outside links, each one relevant to your company and helpful for your audience. Posting industry news and updates is a great way to add variety to your content while showing you’re up-to-date on all the latest ongoings. Tips and guides from non-competing sites will also give value to your followers while diversifying your posts.
DON’T Misuse Platforms
Since each social network has a different audience of users, not all content will be a fit for them all. Posts should be tailored to the nature of each social network to provide followers with the most value. Additionally, if all your profiles consist of the same shares, people won’t have a reason to follow them all. Diversify your posts so that your individual profiles have a unique presence and worth. While it’s fine to post some of the same shares across your social networks, be sure each week’s shares aren’t identical, and that post copy isn’t identical to previous descriptions of a link.
DON’T Post a Sales Pitch
Social media isn’t a soapbox, so your feeds shouldn’t look like a conglomerate of advertisements. Nobody wants to follow a page that only lists the benefits of their services; people are more interested in accounts that supply them with helpful information or entertainment. You don’t have to constantly preach about your company’s offerings to generate leads through social media; sharing inside links to your business’s blog will educate while bringing in new site visits simultaneously.
Social media lists a wealth of benefits for businesses both small and large. What’s more, not having a social presence on at least one of the major networks appears unprofessional. Make sure you study up on social media marketing best practices and follow through on them, as well as avoid social media snafus, to ensure your profiles leave the best impression and garner the most profit.