The Best Tips and Strategies to Get You Started Using Social Media for Your Business
Do you want to know how to use social media for marketing that works? Does your social media business page not have as many followers as you would like it to have? Building a social media presence can sometimes seem hard and frustrating, but if done correctly it can be a great way to promote your business.
What is a social media strategy?
A social media strategy is a plan for providing social media users with useful and interesting information on social media networks. A social media business page strategy should include using social media marketing tools and tactics to reach out to your target market and obtain new customers/clients.
The first step to creating a winning strategy is to establish your objectives and goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure success and return on investment (ROI).
Each of your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Once you have finalized your social media goals, the next step is to plan your social media marketing for achieving these goals.
Each social network requires different strategies and techniques to obtain new customers/clients. While planning social media strategies for each social network, consider elements like demographics, intent, and intensity of participation. Consider targeting fans of similar pages with advertisements about events taking place at your business on Facebook, for example.
How do you build a social media strategy?
It is important to know what social media networks your target customers use most often. If you already have a social media business page, take some time to think about how it might be improved.
What social network channels could you use to promote your business and increase the number of followers you have on each social channel? You will want to choose social media platforms that your target market uses and research those tools before making any final decisions.
Here are a few of the most popular social media platforms for businesses:
With 1.15 billion monthly active users, social media marketers know that Facebook is the social network to use for building a social media business page with an audience of your target market.
The best way to gain followers for Facebook is by creating interesting posts that your customers/clients will want to share and giving them opportunities to engage with your social media business page.
For example, if you offer and promote freebies like coupons or discounts that allow users to save money on products and services, you can gain social proof when people share these offers with their social circles.
Facebook Groups
Another way to promote your Facebook page is by creating a Facebook group. Some businesses choose to create separate pages for their business and their group, but it might be more effective to combine the two. That way you're not diluting your audience between groups and pages.
Facebook groups are a great way to connect with your target market. Listen to what they have to say and respond with helpful content. You can create a group for your business or join/start existing groups that are relevant to your business, industry, or location.
With over 500 million active monthly users, Twitter is the social network where messages are limited to 140 characters.
The social media marketing tools to use on Twitter to gain social proof for your social media business page are:
Promoted accounts -- social proof when other social media users see that you have a lot of followers. Your social proof will increase in number and social authority when these people decide to follow you.
Promoted tweets - social proof from others who retweet your social media content and show their social circle that they believe it is valuable.
With 364 million monthly active users, business social media marketers know that LinkedIn is the social network to use for building a social media business page with an audience of influencers in your industry.
The best way to gain followers on LinkedIn is by creating interesting content (information, inspirational, funny, thought-proving) that your social media followers will want to share within their social circles. LinkedIn Articles are a great way to promote your business page while also showcasing your expertise.
LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn groups are a great place to connect with people in your industry. Every group has an owner who is the first person to join the group, but any LinkedIn member can request membership to a group.
To increase engagement on your LinkedIn business page, join relevant groups and participate in discussions by asking questions, sharing helpful content, and offering comments.
With 175 million monthly active users on the Pinterest app alone, businesses need to have a presence on Pinterest.
This is especially true if you are in an industry that is image-oriented and attracts female customers, such as fashion, home decor, food & drink, DIY/home improvement, travel.
Your best social media marketing tools on Pinterest are:
Promoted pins - if you have a business account on pinners can discover your pins when they search for related keywords.
Repinly -- This allows you to see which of your Pinterest pins are most popular, so you can pin more of the same types of content.
Pinterest Boards
Another way to grow your social proof on Pinterest is by creating boards that will attract followers with pins related to your industry or content that's important for your target market. You can also let other pinners add pins to your boards.
Alignable
Alignable is a social network that allows small business owners to build networks based on their location and the products or services they provide that are relevant to their networks; this platform offers a powerful way to connect with complementary industries.
Alignable is a great platform for connecting with your ideal customers/clients and building a social media business page with social proof.
As soon as you join, you can claim your profile and begin posting tips & tricks about what you do that match the needs of your target audience.
When people follow you after reading your personal/business bio, they'll immediately see how many connections you have who are interested in what you offer.
Alignable Groups
Similar to Facebook groups, Alignable has groups that are meant for people in your network who match a certain demographic or interest.
You can create your own group to share interesting content with your connections. You can also join groups that are relevant to you and post content just like you do on Pinterest.
Alignable Recommendations
One of the best ways you can increase your social proof on Alignable is by getting recommendations from people in your network.
People trust recommendations because they see them as unbiased and authentic, which makes it easier for new connections to decide if they want to connect and follow you too.
To get recommendations, simply invite your best customers to write a review for you on Alignable. When they do, be sure to thank them by writing a handwritten note or personalized email.
-----
Once you've made a list of social media platforms that would work best for promoting your business and connecting with your audience, choose one or two of those options and implement them as soon as possible. After you've mastered one platform, move on to another.
How do I turn my social media presence into steady traffic/business leads?
Starting a social media business page does not lead to steady traffic or quality business leads overnight. Social media marketing tactics can be very effective but they need to be implemented and tested over and over again before you will see results.
Add social media buttons to your website and ask all of your clients to follow you on social media channels. You may want to consider offering incentives for following you on social media, such as free resources or promotions that are only available to those who follow your social media business page.
Here are some tips and strategies for how to build a social media presence with success:
Know your audience - Who are you targeting? What is the social media demographic of your target audience? This information will help you to plan content that appeals to your social followers. To generate leads and increase conversions, try social media advertising on social media business pages with a high number of followers.
Start a social media conversation - When you post social media content, don't just expect people to follow your social media business page all on their own! If people are interested in what you have to say they will most likely share it with others and invite them to follow your social media business page too. This is where social media conversations come into play and can be very effective in building a social presence for your brand online. Social interactions such as likes and shares should be rewarded by giving users access to exclusive coupons, discounts, or social media content.
Participate in social media conversations - Social media is all about being social! You cannot expect people to follow your social media pages without offering anything of value. Try engaging in social media conversations. This could be quick comments on other businesses' posts or adding your input into current events. Don't go overboard though, keep interactions brief but meaningful. One social media strategy that is popular with social media marketing experts is posting on social media sites numerous times per day. This can be a very effective social media business-building strategy, however, it can also be seen as spamming by the social community members if not done correctly. A good balance of social postings can go a long way toward growing your social media presence, just make sure your content is valuable.
Post quality content - Quality is the key when it comes to social media posts! If you are not offering valuable information through your social media business page, why would anyone want to follow you? Offer interesting articles or facts that people will enjoy reading about. Sharing videos might also spark some interest in your business's social media page. Posting social media updates that relate to your products or services can help promote yourself as an industry expert, which may encourage social media followers to become customers.
Engage with other social pages - Participating in social media conversations does not only stop between you and the follower who commented on your last post! You should also try to engage with other social pages as well. This can include sharing their posts, commenting on them, or other promotional offers through your social profiles if they engage with you first. You can also search social media for similar businesses and social pages that might be interested in a social exchange as well. This is an effective social media strategy because it gives you more social media traffic, exposes your social business page to new followers, and may even lead to social media partnerships!
Create a social media calendar - Planning out your social media content ahead of time, such as deciding what days and times during the week different social posts will be posted helps keep things organized. It can make it easier to find quality information, allow you to post on multiple platforms at once without being too repetitive with each post, and help you stick with your social media goals! By planning some of these important details ahead of time using a social media calendar, social media becomes much easier to manage.
A social media business page is only as successful as the social media strategy behind it! By following these social media marketing tips and strategies you can build a social media presence that will promote your brand online. With the right social media plan, you could have more social followers and increased engagement.
At P&P Creative Studio, we can assist you with establishing social media pages, content creation, and managing your pages. Book a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help grow your social media presence!
