I’ve lost count of the times people have told me that social media doesn’t increase business. That it’s not worth the time, effort and budget. Usually, the people that tell me this are those who upload bad quality images that aren’t sized correctly and whose captions could literally send me to sleep. There’s usually month-long gaps between posts or they’ve not even set up as a business page and are using a personal account for their business. With social media habits like that, it probably won’t work. However, adopting a few simple habits will see your social media success increase massively.
Here are a few little things that you can do to help towards the success of your social media for your business.
Don’t Do It Just For Followers
Yes, likes/followers are good. Of course they are, they’re your audience. However, simply posting to build on your following won’t cut it anymore. What’s the point in having thousands of followers when only a small percentage of those are relevant to your business?
As well as relevance, having unengaged followers can disrupt your data. With data based on irrelevant followers, your analytics will never be a true reflection of your audience. With true analytics you’re able to see what your real audience wants from you.
Consistency Is Key
Consistent posting, consistent branding, consistent tone of voice and consistent interaction with your audience. Consistency is vital to successful social media use.
For consistent posting it’s best to arrange a schedule that works for you. Which days work for you? Don’t expect immediate results, keep going with it! When somebody looks at your profile, probably looking to engage with your services/products, do you think they’d be impressed with old content? Regular posting gives you fresh content at all times.
If you’ve not got the time to post daily/every other day you can use Facebook’s scheduling tools to schedule ahead. I suggest blocking some time out of your schedule every so often to schedule ahead. This gives you the time to focus on your business without worrying about what you’re going to post that day.
Consistent branding is easier to achieve than it sounds. For most businesses, a recognisable profile picture is always best. Usually, your logo works best. There are exceptions where a quality picture of yourself or your premises could work too. The majority of businesses have colours and fonts that they stick to for most things. Incorporate these into your social media by using them on your graphics. Add your logo too to keep brand awareness up.
For your graphics I always recommend choosing a style and having a few variants that you stick to. It’s best to sit down and really think about the style that best represents your brand. Is it bold and bright or simple and gentle? All of this contributes to the way that your business is interpreted by your audience.
For photos I highly recommend choosing a filter/editing style and sticking to that. It helps to a) enhance your brand and 2) keep things consistent. If you use Instagram (which you should, by the way) having the same filter/edit style will keep your grid looking sleek and uniform.
You can see here how Lindt uses the same filter on each photo and how sleek it makes their feed look. As well as this, in every 9 photos, they use similar colours in these photos. That’s because the first 9 photos are what someone sees when they go onto your photo. If you can, I’d recommend planning your feed to incorporate these tips. They also keep it seasonal, see the Valentines theme here.
So, tone of voice on social media. Doesn’t sound like much does it? The way you word your posts and the language you use as a business is actually really important. Are you a corporate business? Does your audience consist of professionals? It’s probably best that you stick to appropriate language for these people. However, if your audience isn’t as corporate you can be a little less so. Be consistent with this as it can be a huge deciding factor for potential customers.
Don’t Guess At Who Your Audience Is
Following on from writing appropriately for your audience let’s talk about actually knowing who your audience is. Selling, which is what every business wants to do, is about connecting with your audience. It’s vital that you understand who your target audience is. I’ve seen a lot of business owners who think they know who their target audience is but are actually missing out on a lot of business because they’ve not got it quite right.
Do some research and identify your real target audience. What do they want and need? What are their daily struggles? What would make their life easier? Then comes the biggest question: How can you help them? Tell them exactly how through social media and you’ll notice a huge change in the success of your social.
Don’t Post Exactly The Same Thing On Every Social Network
It won’t work. People expect different things from different platforms. Keep your content centred around your audience. Think about things like their ages, interests and why they’re using that platform. Are photos best or would videos engage people more? Do these people want information or do they want to laugh and resonate with more humourous posts
Provide Your Audience With Valuable Content
To truly, fully engage your audience you need to provide content that’s valuable. It takes time to plan and produce but it’s always worth it. What information can you provide that will be useful to your audience?
For example: A personal trainer could provide workouts tips, full workouts, meal ideas, information about diet and exercise and information on areas that they know their target audience is interested in. By providing this meaningful content, the personal trainer is likely to pick up clients through social media. This is because they’re demonstrating their expertise and giving their audience information before they’ve even made first contact.
These are just a few key factors in social media success. There are hundreds of pieces of advice I could offer. It’s all about consistent useful content that reflects your brand.