Social media started as a way for friends and family to share thoughts and photos. Now, whether you are marketing your business or even your personal brand, social media is a pivotal aspect in those marketing efforts. There is always room for improvement, and these tips can help you step up your social media game.
Don’t Overshare
It has become very easy for your followers to hide or unfollow you if your posts become overwhelming. Limit your number of posts, and try to avoid back-to-back posts. Although it’s tempting to get all your posts out in one sitting, people get overwhelmed when they see too much content at one time. Make sure you choose quality over quantity, and don’t bombard your readers with too many posts at one time or even in the same day.
Stay Relevant
Keep your posts relevant to your audience and the times. If something you’ve posted in the past is relevant to something current, feel free to repost it. Check what’s trending on Facebook, and try to post relevant articles so that they come up when people search trending topics. Look at relevant hashtags on Instagram and Twitter from your smartphone such as the Galaxy S6 Edge, and include them into your posts. Although it’s important to keep your current followers, you also need to focus on getting new fans.
Offer Value
Social media is a volatile way of connecting with your audience, because people chose to follow you for a particular reason, and they can easily choose to unfollow you. To step up your social media game and keep your followers, you need to offer value to your followers.
Although it’s tempting to make your posts about you or your company, you need to focus on what your readers want. Analyze past posts and see what people shared, encouraging comments. Focus your future posts on things that were well-received in the past even when it’s tempting to post based on things that matter only to you.
Schedule Evergreen Posting
Although you don’t want to post too much, you do want to stay relevant and at the front of your audience members’ minds. Since you can’t stay connected consistently, use a service such as Hootsuite to schedule evergreen posts when you’re away from your computer. Create quotes or fun facts, then schedule them throughout the day. Since it’s evergreen content, it won’t matter what is going on in the world, and you don’t have to worry about posting something that is irrelevant or dated because it’s scheduled in advance.
Include Images in Your Posts
Social media experts say that including images in your posts helps get them shared, liked, and commented on. Make sure every post has an image to make sure that it stands out in the stream of posts in people’s newsfeeds. If you have a blog, include images in those posts as well, since those images will get pulled into your social media posts. Even if you’re just posting a quote or a fun fact, make sure either that it’s on a photo or that you’ve included a photo to help get it shared and liked.
Start a Conversation
Social media is the perfect platform to connect with your audience. Your followers don’t want you talking at them; they want you talking with them. Make sure the majority of your posts encourage conversation. Ask a question at the end of a post to get your followers engaged. The question could be as easy as “What are your thoughts?” Specifically ask people to share your posts: You’ll be amazed how much the power of suggestion works on social media outlets.
There is a crucial balance between staying connected and flooding your followers with too many posts. Make sure every post is relevant and offers something to your followers. Talk to your followers, and start provocative conversations to get them engaged. Even if you aren’t sitting in front of your computer, make sure your account always seems active and relevant to keep up your social media brand.
Leave a Reply