8 Different ways to use social media to promote your business
Social media has become a key component of modern marketing strategies, revolutionising traditional methods. While outbound marketers traditionally take one-way routes to deliver messages to target customers, social networks offer the opportunity to engage with your consumers directly. Through conversations and sharing content, you can get them involved in your brand and establish rapport – as long as you know how. So if you’re just getting into social media marketing, here are eight tips for success.
1. Select the Correct Platform
Successful content distribution requires careful deliberation. Before choosing your platform, consider what platforms best suit the content you create and which are most likely used by your target audience. Perform some research if needed to make sure you know where to put your energy. Social media networking sites offer great opportunities for successful promotion of digital products, so keep them in mind too. Once you’ve considered all the possibilities, optimise your reach by creating an account on the preferred social media websites for maximum efficiency.
2. Establish a calendar
Organising your content production can lead to higher-quality materials and a steady flow of posts across platforms. Social media content calendars provide you with the opportunity to get ahead of your postings, reach optimal timing and audience engagement, and even set goals. Content calendars consist of a series of planned posts with hashtags, links, pictures, and more. Having a calendar specific to each platform enables you to be better prepared for upcoming deadlines. Ultimately, content calendars help social media professionals achieve their goals without the pressure of last minute scrabbling or lapses in post frequency.
3. Participate Actively
To reap the maximum benefit from social media, businesses must be interactive as well as entertaining. Encouraging engagement is an ideal way to expand your reach and build a community of avid followers. Depending on your target audience, it is essential to post content that will encourage interaction, such as sparking conversations or reposting user-generated content. Additionally, researching the preferences of your target audience will help inform the type of content you post.
4. Avoid over promotion
Businesses often mistakenly assume that social media is like traditional advertising. It’s important to create posts that readers will be interested in and want to read, which goes beyond simply promoting your company. A good rule of thumb is the one-in-seven rule: post six content-based posts for every directly promotional one. These can include articles from related topics, current events discussions, or a question for viewers. While it’s ok to mention your business in these postings, try not to be overly promotional about it.
5. Share video
Visual content can be an effective tool for social media platforms. Videos can capture your audience’s attention with the help of enthusiasm and personality, making them much more likely to watch and interact than standard posts. Plus, videos require less space but express more information, giving you a chance to truly engage with your viewers. Create compelling videos that tell a story to maximise interaction with your audience.
6. Address issues promptly
To maintain a positive reputation on social media, it’s important to monitor brand mentions. When you notice an issue with a customer, contact them directly via direct message and offer to resolve it. If a public apology is necessary, do so in a respectful manner. This will demonstrate to viewers that you take customer satisfaction seriously without divulging unnecessary details.
7. Make a community
For enhanced reach and improved marketing results, aim to cultivate a loyal audience rather than gaining large numbers of followers. Identifying passionate customers who are devoted to your brand can help bolster interaction and engagement with your content. They may share it, comment on posts, or even act as word-of-mouth promoters mentioning you in their own networks. Additionally, connecting with social media influencers is another effective way of introducing your business to new audiences: they could write product reviews or feature you in their posts, providing an invaluable endorsement.
8. Deliver value
Social media provides an incredible opportunity to reach out to new and existing customers on a global scale. With around 3 billion active users, there’s huge scope for utilising this powerful platform more effectively. It is essential that you create content that offers value and benefit to your followers, such as entertainment, education or humour. It is important to master this social media strategy in order to create an effective overall marketing plan which will help build a bigger customer base and foster loyalty among followers.
