Social media has made its way into many parts of our everyday lives. What many of us began using as a social medium has become one of the most important aspects of marketing, advertising, and professional networking. With Ecommerce business exploding in popularity, many customers make purchases directly from links that they followed from social media accounts. How well your profile is set up may determine whether or not they choose to do business with you. It is very likely that one of your social media profiles will be what makes the first impression on potential customers.
With the increasing importance of a professional social media presence, how do you make sure that you are meeting the status quo and not being labeled as an outdated company? To ensure your business stays relevant and experiences organic growth, keep these things in mind.
1. Branding is what sets you apart- Brainstorm 4-5 words or phrases that define what your mission is or what you want to be known for. Develop and center all content marketing around these topics.
Nike is one of the clearest examples of how branding around 4 pillars should operate.
- Innovation
- Sustainability
- The Power of Sport
- Team
It is not hard to see that all of their content- every single ad and social media post- are centered around at least 1 of these 4 pillars.
2. Content is King- Depending on your audience, you should be active in a combination of different platforms. Being active on Twitter alone doesn’t cut it anymore. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube are the major players in the game. It would be very beneficial for you to be active on at least 3 of these. Each platform offers features and can reach different audiences better than the others. Some also offer paid advertising which is important to at least be somewhat knowledgeable of as well. However, that is another topic, for a later date!
Content is the information that you provide about your business through online media. Great content comes from providing a great product or service, and providing information about that product or service in a way that will stand
out in the multitude of ads that bombard potential clients or customers 24/7. Content must be creative, captivating, and inspiring. Once again, focus all of your content around your 4-5 definitive words or phrases. Creating content that is similar in visual theme, and that is centered around your branding pillars helps your brand stick in the minds of your target audience. This makes it much more likely that when they are ready to make purchasing decisions, that they will remember your company.
3. Have a consistent presence- Post regularly but don’t bombard your customers so much that they get used to scrolling past your content. There is a ton of information out there about what days and times are the best to post, but consistency is more important than timing. Once you have a steady pace, then you can look at the times and days in which your audience engaged the most. Scheduling apps, such as Hubspot and Hootsuite, are very helpful in creating an effective and consistent social media presence. You can create multiple posts with text, images, links, etc, and schedule them to be uploaded at specific dates and times in the near future.
4. Organic growth creates more sustainable relationships- The trust of your customers cannot be bought. Don’t buy likes or pay for spam messaging services. If you want organic growth, then you must focus on consistently offering value to your audience, and fostering that relationship through engagement. Posting alone will bring extremely slow growth results that may not last. Engaging with your followers is extremely effective in growing the popularity of your accounts. On a basic level this means interacting with your followers and the people you follow. Like, share, and comment on posts. Sending direct messages is also useful- but since people have to check these like an email inbox, you do not want to overuse this tool. Save d.m.’s for content that is time-sensitive or of the utmost importance.
5. Paying attention to your top competitors can give you an edge- One of the greatest things about social media is that all of the businesses at the top of your industry are active and show you exactly what works for your target market. Study their content. Comment valuable information on posts of larger companies in your industry. Another way to engage your audience is to search hashtags such as #smallbusinesssarasota- or wherever you’re operating. Follow people who use similar tags and comment on their posts. When you add something to the conversation regularly, people notice and begin to respect your brand more.
Social media is constantly changing and rapidly growing. It has connected people who are a world apart. It can be intimidating, but if you keep up with the trends it can be a tool that can be exponentially beneficial for your business. A world of opportunity is literally in the palm of your hands. Although it’s constantly pushing forward it is not too late to begin acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to take your business to the next level.
Our team is available to help you grow as well! Call Omnis today to set up your business consulting session!
Comment your favorite social media strategies and tools below!
