Your brand’s online presence depends a lot on your social media strategy. Celtic social media strategist Katie Smallwood shares 25 quick tips for a winning plan.
1. Pick your platforms strategically.
If you sell a product geared towards men in their 50s, you probably won’t reach them on Snapchat, even if the platform is growing in popularity.
2. Don’t spread yourself too thin.
It’s nearly impossible to master every single social media platform. Pick 2 or 3 key platforms you know your audience is using and concentrate your efforts on those.
3. Develop mini plans for each platform.
Within your overall social media strategy should be a specific plan for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Each platform is unique and requires a separate strategy.
4. Perfect your bios.
Potential fans will navigate to your bio to learn about you when they land on your page. Make sure to tell them as quickly and concisely as possible who you are and what you’re about.
5. Don’t just share anything and everything.
Sure, you want to fill your content calendar and post regularly. But make sure the content you’re sharing is helpful, entertaining, and relevant to your particular audience.
6. On that note, post consistently.
Your followers are likely following hundreds of other people and brands. If you’re not publishing new content often, you might be forgotten.
7. Post more images and videos.
Think about what makes you stop scrolling and pay attention to a brand post. In all likelihood, it’s an eye catching image or interesting video. These are the most popular types of content for engagement on Facebook and Twitter.
8. Use a social media management tool.
Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Buffer are just a few to choose from. Save time and increase your productivity by scheduling, publishing, monitoring and engaging with your audience all in one place.
9. Measure. Measure. Measure.
Do you know if your content is resonating with your audience? What’s working? What’s not working? Make sure you’re tracking metrics like impressions, engagements and clicks so you can adjust your plan based on what your audience cares about.
10. Set a Google Alert for Facebook updates.
Facebook is notorious for changing. You know that feature you’ve grown accustomed to and use all the time? Chances are, it won’t be around forever. Make sure you stay up to date on changes so you can adjust your brand strategy accordingly.
11. Incorporate social media into your overall marketing budget.
With every update, social media platforms are making it increasingly difficult to reach your audience organically. Whether you’re using Facebook ads, boosted posts or promoted tweets, putting dollars behind your social media posts will significantly increase your reach and ensure you’re hitting your target audience.
12. Get specific with target audiences on Facebook.
Facebook’s ad manager tool allows you to create saved audiences based on very specific criteria, including targeting by life events such as “recently married” or “new job.”
13. Don’t forget to interact.
Have you ever reached out to a brand on Facebook only to hear crickets? If your customers are taking the time to interact with your brand, make sure you’re replying, retweeting and liking their posts. After all, the point of social media is to be social!
14. Follow your competitors.
When do they post and how often? What type of content are they sharing? Are they seeing high engagement rates? While you don’t want to copy your competitor, they may be implementing strategies you’ll want to incorporate into your overall plan.
15. Use hashtags to your advantage.
Researching popular hashtags in your industry and including them in your Twitter and Instagram posts is one of the most effective ways to increase your organic reach. Just make sure the hashtags you’re using are relevant to your brand.
16. Don’t be overly promotional.
Sure, you want to sell your product, but if you’re constantly telling your followers how great you are, it’s just going to turn them away. It’s OK to mix in promotional content, but make sure you’re giving your audience content that’s useful to them as well.
17. Give people a reason to follow you.
There are thousands of brands people can follow on social media, so what makes you stand out? Maybe you share discount codes with your followers periodically, or offer real-time customer support through Facebook messenger. Whatever your value proposition, consistency is key.
18. Upload your email list to Facebook.
This enables you to advertise to every single email address that’s associated with a Facebook account, allowing you to create multiple touchpoints with potential customers.
19. Shoot live video.
Shooting live video is almost like hacking the algorithm on Facebook and Instagram. The platforms prioritize this content, so it’s a sure way to reach more of your audience without spending money.
20. Ask your Facebook audience to “react” to your post.
Reactions on Facebook, such as “love,” “haha,” and “wow” are weighted more heavily in Facebook’s algorithm than regular likes. This means if a lot of people are reacting to your post, it is more likely to be shown to others. For example, a breakfast restaurant may ask people to vote for their favorite breakfast option using the reaction buttons – “Love” for eggs, or “Wow” for pancakes.
21. Get people talking.
People love to talk about themselves! Ask relevant questions to get them to open up. Generating more engagement also means more people will see your posts.
22. Use IFTTT Applets to streamline your social media.
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a free service that allows you to automate tasks between applications and social networks. For example, you could use it to keep your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures in sync or automatically create Twitter lists based on hashtags. You can choose existing applets or create your own, so the options are basically endless!*
23. Tag influencers in your Instagram photos.
Find high-profile accounts in your industry and tag them in your photos. This increases the likelihood that someone who’s interested in your industry (but doesn’t currently follow you) will find your account.
24. Recycle your best content.
If you saw great engagement rates on a post you shared, there’s nothing saying you can’t share it again. Just make sure you modify the image and copy slightly, to keep things fresh.
25. Remember, nothing stays the same.
This is worth mentioning again. Don’t expect that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. Maybe all of these tips will be useless a year from now. 😉 Social media platforms are changing constantly, so make sure you’re ready to adapt to new trends and tools.
*http://www.razorsocial.com/ifttt-how-to-use-ifttt-for-social-media-automation/