3 ways to improve your social media
Social media. You can’t avoid it even if you try. And although it can feel daunting, it is now a necessary part of your business. So how can you learn to embrace this magical beast and make it work for you and for your business? Glad you asked. After almost a decade of leading companies in social media strategies I have come up with three key components on how companies can improve their social media starting today!
- Define your goals
If you asked most any business owner what is their goal for social media, they would likely say “to have as many followers as possible.” But to this I must ask: Why? The fact is, having a high number of followers does not necessarily result in having high sales numbers. It also does not mean that audiences are active and engaged. Many social media accounts have thousands of followers but each post only receives about 10 likes or 1 share. Without the right goal in mind your followers can become passive and disengaged, hurting your aligithm and preventing further audiences from finding you.
So take the pressure off of yourself and know that it is okay to have a smaller number of followers than your competitors. Show the audience you do have that they are valued. Send personalized thank you messages to each new follower, tag them in posts, and provide content that brings value to their lives. Start concentrating on this today and I promise you will develop brand advocates that will organically grow your business.
- Offer Value
If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit that the reason we get on social media is to escape from reality. This is true for your audience as well. Don’t bombard them with sales tactics and boring graphics. Bring value to their day through stories, education, and personal experience. Creating a fun environment where people feel like they can be themselves and check out from the monotony of daily life will leave them wanting to come back to you. For example, if you have a lawn mower business, post content such as “How to keep your grass looking good while you’re on vacation”, or “How to reduce water costs and still maintain a nice lawn.” Have fun! Don’t overthink it. Ask your audience questions. Invite the viewer into the story by making it more about them and less about you.
- Schedule Consistency
Algorithms for all social media channels are constantly changing. Instead of giving you advice for what to do with the current Instagram or Facebook algiythinms of today, I prefer to offer the timeless strategy of consistency. This strategy has maintained its effectiveness throughout algorithm shifts and allows for your audience to know when they can expect things from you. This builds your integrity as a brand and when your audience is ready to buy they will know you are a business they can trust.
Platforms have been created with this very strategy in mind. Now you can take one day a week to sit down, create all your content, and schedule it to each social media channel. You can plan out months in advance and also save your hashtags. All of this saves you time and money. Here are a few of our favorites:
In Conclusion:
Be real, be you, be authentic. The world of social media wants to know the behind the scenes, the nitty gritty, the conflict and the chaos. Don’t spend a ton of time setting up shots or purchasing professional lighting. Create content and get it out there for the world to see. Monitor the feedback and pivot as needed. Don’t forget to have fun doing it!