In the digital era, having a strong social media presence is more important than ever. Social channels can help you connect with your customers, improve brand visibility, and increase leads and sales revenue. This is why social media should form a key part of your business marketing strategy. Fortunately, there are countless ways to engage with users and grow your business using social platforms. With that in mind, here are seven tips for building your social media presence:
1. Understand Your Audience
If you want to be successful on social media, then you must know your audience and understand their behaviors online. Understanding your audience will allow you to interact with them on a more personal level and produce valuable content. You should find out which social channels your customers use when they are active, what content they engage with, and so on. Social media analytics tools can give you insight into your audience and help you track your online presence. Social media demographics can also be used to create detailed marketing persons and target your social marketing strategy. According to sproutsocial.com: “Social media data shows that Facebook is the most used social platform followed by Instagram and Snapchat.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should focus your social marketing on Facebook. You must research your specific audience and identify their behaviors on social platforms.
2. Post Valuable Content
Posting valuable content is crucial if you want to build your social media presence. You should focus on producing engaging content that will benefit your audience in some way. Posting valuable content will promote your brand and help you attract more customers to your business. It is also important to be authentic when it comes to your content. Try to avoid posting content that appears too corporate or ‘salesy’. The most successful brands on social platforms let their customers know that they are human and connect with users on a more intimate level. You can make your brand more personable on social media by interacting with other accounts, responding to users when they tag you in posts and producing live videos. Posting photos of your team and workplace can give users a behind-the-scenes view of your brand and add a personal touch to your social content.
3. Engage with Users Online
If you want to grow a strong social media presence, then you must engage with users online. Make an effort to always respond to users who post on your social media pages. Responding to users lets your followers know that you are reading their comments and value their opinions. This will encourage followers to engage with your posts in the future and share your content with others. Remember that your social media strategy’s goal should be to build meaningful relationships, not just gain followers. Having a small group of followers who regularly engage with you is more valuable than having thousands of followers who ignore your posts.
4. Deal With Customer Complaints Quickly
If you notice a customer complaint posted on your social media, then you must deal with the issue quickly. How you respond to customer complaints will tell users a lot about your brand and customer service. Ideally, you should respond to customer complaints and queries publicly so other users can see the conversation. Having unresolved customer complaints on your social media accounts can cause serious harm to your company’s reputation and create a negative public image. For that reason, you must create a policy to handle customer complaints quickly and efficiently.
5. Streamline Content Creation
Creating content for social media can be a time-consuming task, but you must get it right. The good news is, there are lots of ways to streamline content creation and make the process more organized and effective. For example, online proofing tools can help your marketing teams collaborate on creative content projects more efficiently. Take a look at this guide to online proofing for more information on the benefits of using a proofing application. Downloading a content management system (CMS) can also help to streamline content creation. This tool will optimize your digital content management and allow marketers to access, edit, and collaborate on content from anywhere. Using software like online proofing and a CMS will save you valuable resources and help you maximize the results of your social media marketing.
6. Create a Social Media Strategy
Every company should create a social media strategy as part of its overall marketing plan. Your social media strategy will guide your activity on social platforms and help you achieve your marketing goals and objectives. If you are finding it difficult to create a solid social media strategy, then you can outsource this task to a digital marketing company. You could also hire a social media manager to run your company’s social media accounts.
7. Focus on Visual Content
Generally speaking, users prefer visual content over written content across all social platforms. A study by Linkedin found that you can increase social media views by 94% if you use visual content. Using visual media like images and videos should boost user engagement and encourage followers to share your content with their family and friends. The majority of social media content that goes viral features visual elements. Visual content is more appealing to users and can help your audience understand the message that you’re trying to get across. Try to use a combination of images, infographics, and video in your social media content.
Final Thoughts
Social media is a powerful marketing tool, but only when it is used effectively. Billions of people all around the world use social media, and social platforms offer fantastic marketing opportunities. You can use social channels to connect with your audience, grow awareness around your brand, and boost sales and profits. Social media should be a core focus within your marketing strategy, regardless of your business size or sector. The above tips should help you build your social media presence and engage with your users online.