Whether you’re getting started on social media or just wanting to refresh your current profile, there are few quick tips that can help build your brand and social presence.
Getting Started
You’ve made your decision to use social media to build your brand and business, but before you go in head first there are a few things you need to know.
Don’t Sign Up for Every Network
One of the biggest mistakes brands can make is signing up for all social networks all at once.
Keeping track of these networks and consistently posting to them can soon become overwhelming. Not to mention that your brand might not be the right fit for that network.
The key here is to know your target audience, who are they, what social channel are they most likely to be using?
What network to choose
Once you have a good understanding of your target audience sign up for one or two networks which they would most likely be using.
After establishing yourself on these channels you can slowly grow your brand by branching out to other networks, but only if your audience is out there.
Be Consistent
Worse than not having a social media presence is having a vacant one. There is nothing worse than having a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in a year, or an Instagram feed that has only two images.
This is why it’s important to start with only one or two networks. Focus on creating consistent content for these channels first then consider adding another.
There are a lot of infographics that show how often you should be posting to which channel, but if you are just starting out choose a method that works for you. If you can post once a day great, if not aim for once a week. Your followers will pick up on your posting schedule and as long as you are consistent with the schedule, you should be fine.
Quick Tips
Okay so you already have your social channels and even have a steady following, what else can you do to really rock your feed? Here are a few quick tips!
Tell A Story
No one likes to be sold to and you don’t want your channel to become spammy. Remember you need to be a resource, not a sales pitch.
Instead of selling your product or service tell a story. The story can vary from how the product solves a problem to the story of how it is made.
Find the story that best suits your business and go from there.
Use Images
Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than it does words and with the ever decreasing attention spans, it’s even more crucial to leverage the power of images in your social posts.
You don’t need to be an expert photographer with high-tech equipment to get a great shot. Modern smartphones work just as good if not better than any point and click camera.
Just be sure to simplify your background, have one focal point and use natural lighting.
Still weary of using your own photos? There are a lot of great resources out there for free stock photography. One of my favorites is Pexels.com
Turn Your Camera
If you do decide to take your own photos on your phone one of the most important things you can do is TURN YOUR CAMERA.
The majority of social networks recommend photos with a horizontal aspect ratio. This is especially important if you plan to share video, like Facebook live video. Way to often have I seen professionals record video in vertical mode, it’s just sad.
If you have to invest in a phone tripod or selfie stick to help keep your phone horizontal for your pictures and video.
Use Hashtags
What good is having a social network if you don’t have any followers? While getting your blog readers and customers to follow you on your socials is one tactic, the goal of social media is to grow your brand.
So, how does one reach a larger market on social media? Use hashtags!
Hashtags are basically searchable keywords, which allows new users searching for those relevant keywords to find your posts.
Get started by including popular hashtags, stick with about 3 to 5 relevant hashtags per posts.
As your brand grows try your hand at creating your own branded hashtags.
Get Engaged
If you want to establish yourself as an authority in your subject then you need to get engaged.
Liking, sharing, retweeting and commenting on other’s posts in the community can help build your social presence.
The more you engage with your followers and potential followers on others pages the more you will be looked at as a subject matter expert.
Keep in mind that you don’t want to be sharing a sales pitch, instead, be a resource and add value to the conversation.
Learn More
I hope you’ve found these quick tips helpful and will start implementing them today!
If you are located in the mid-west you might consider attending the SMTulsa Social Business Conference. It’s a great place to learn more about social media and how it can help your business.
Oh, and did I mention I’m a speaker 😉 Hope to see you there!
Do you have a specific question about social media? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer it in an upcoming post.