August 17, 2017
Social Media Marketing: 5 Tips for Beginners
Oh, the vast world of social media marketing. Some people love it, some people hate it. Whichever category you fall under there’s no denying the importance of social media marketing in driving traffic – thus results – to your company’s website. Don’t be fooled – there is a lot more to posting on social media than one may think. Here are 5 tips for beginners to be aware of when it comes to posting to social media for business.
Consistency is key
To create a presence on social media, you need to post consistently. How consistent you should post is largely driven by two things: your company’s market and analytics, which allow you to see how posts are performing. A general rule of thumb is that a tweet on Twitter has a shorter “lifespan” than a post on Facebook. It is deemed perfectly fine to post multiple tweets a day, spanned out over several hours. In addition, you should consider “live-tweeting” when your company is attending conferences or events, which oftentimes have unique hashtags allowing you to connect with other attendees!
When it comes to posting on Facebook (and really, any platform), it’s important to let analytics and insights drive your post frequency. Try posting 2-3 times a day on Facebook. If over time you see a dip in followers and engagement try scaling pack to 1-2 posts a day to see if there is a boost in engagement. The amazing thing about social media marketing is there is no right or wrong answer to posting. Take risks, be unique and don’t be afraid to try something new and out-of-the box!
Engage with your audience
The ultimate goal of posting to social media for business is to engage with your current and potential customers. If a person leaves a comment on a post or leaves a review (positive or negative) always respond! This makes your brand more authentic, personable and alive. Do your best to respond to people within 24 hours. You never know when a comment could turn into a lead or give your company valuable insight on consumer views.
A picture is worth a thousand words
All social media posts should be shared with an image. If an image isn’t shared with a post, it can be easily overlooked in a person’s newsfeed. Stock photography websites, such as Shutterstock, tend to be affordable with thousands of images at your disposal. One cool tip we are fans of is editing the image you plan to use on social media to add a unique twist. Don’t be afraid to add a filter or play with the saturation of the photo. While it may look a little funny to have a picture with orange grass or a lavender sky we can guarantee it will catch people’s eye!
Proofread, proofread, proofread!
We can’t stress this one enough! While it can take no time to blast off a quick social media post, it takes more time when you find an error or incorrect link has been shared. Always ensure you are using correct grammar throughout your company’s social media posts. While some social media pages like Facebook allow you to edit posts, LinkedIn and Twitter don’t have that option. On those two platforms, you have to delete and re-share the original post. Sounds like a pain – huh? We know we know, nobody’s perfect; but with enough cups of coffee in the morning you can get darn close (kidding – kind of)! When you are preparing a post don’t rush! Take take your time, and focus on grabbing your audiences’ attention with a witty, intentional and thought out message.
Schedule posts in advance
The option to schedule posts to social media platforms can save a lot of time, and allow you to prepare all posts for the week in one day. Facebook is one of the social media platforms that allows post scheduling right on the website. For platforms such as Linkedin and Twitter you can use a scheduling website such as Hootesuite or Hubspot. Just don’t forget to monitor your pages and be responsive to comments! Simply put, scheduling posts makes life easier, and who can complain about that?!
Trust us – we could go on about tips when it comes to posting to your company’s social media pages. The most important thing to remember is how critical social media marketing is in the overall success of your company. We may be a little biased here at Epic Notion, but we would argue that social media marketing is downright FUN! It’s time for you to grab a cup of coffee, put your thinking cap on, and go out and conquer the vast world of social media marketing!
