More than ever, social media provides businesses of all sizes an opportunity to engage with their customers and reach new audiences. What more could a company want? If your business isn’t already active on social media, it’s way past time to change that.
The most recent stats estimate that social media is where the people are, with Facebook coming in at 2.2 billion users worldwide, YouTube at 1.5 billion and Instagram with 800 million. Your customers and potential customers are there, so why aren’t you? And, if you are there, you need to evaluate whether you’re using it to its maximum potential.
While social media is a key part to your digital marketing strategy, it’s useless if you’re not doing it well. Check out these three social media basics that businesses often overlook.
1. Have a Strategy
When it comes to social media, running in blindly without a strategy is a quick way to fail. It’s crucial to have a detailed plan as to how you’ll utilize social media for business. The first step of creating this plan is to set goals so you know exactly what you’re aiming to get out of social media. These goals can include increased traffic to your company’s website, increased engagement with fans, or increased leads for your sales team.
Make sure you’re clear about your goals and track results as you go. Part of your strategy should also include evaluating who you’re trying to reach and utilizing specific social media channels that appeal to that audience. Which brings us to the next basic tip…
2. Know Your Audience
This seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many businesses aren’t keenly aware of who their target audience is. Before you can really create a valid, useful strategy, you need to learn your audience inside and out.
It’s key to remember: you cannot (and should not) try to appeal to everyone. Obviously it would be nice if everyone was your customer, but have you ever seen a message or a post on social media that appealed to “everyone?” Exactly.
Focus in on the audience that most loves your product or brand or is most relevant to your industry. Learn their likes, their dislikes, when they’re most active on social media, and, most importantly, what they need from you. Then show them how you provide it.
3. Provide Value
One of the biggest tips we can give is to not over-promote your business (i.e., your products and services) on social media. Most people turn to social media to be social: to interact with friends, family, and even brands they love. This is why it’s such a great place to engage with existing customers. But if you’re also wanting to appeal to prospective customers or gain new fans, you have to develop that relationship from the ground up.
You need to show them you’re not only concerned with getting their business or their money. You need to show them you provide value outside of a paying customer relationship. This is where helpful, useful content comes into play. Create and/or share content that your audience and new fans will find interesting, funny, or helpful while remaining consistent with your company’s industry and voice.
When it comes to using social media to boost your business, it’s important to start with the basics. Many companies try to jump in and sell, sell, sell or promote, promote, promote without a strategic approach and without paying attention to what their audience actually wants. And because of this they quickly turn their audience off to their brand completely. Refocus on your customer and their wants before trying to get their money and you’ll see more success with social media marketing.
At Sells Agency in Little Rock, we offer social media marketing and content management services and we’d love to talk with you to see if our team can help your company with your social media marketing needs. Give us a call at 501-666-8926 to learn more today!