Social media provides immense potential for businesses because consumers habitually log on to it daily and are exposed to companies. It also presents huge challenges for businesses, however, because it’s an ever-changing space that is extremely noisy and crowded.
Social media sites have become a hugely important part of our day-to-day lives in recent years, and possibly even more so in the coronavirus era in which social distancing is more important than ever.
Our social media accounts provide us with a way to stay in touch with our friends and family without putting us at risk of infection or exacerbating the spread of the disease.
It’s been obvious for a while now that social media sites are a vital part of our 21st-century lifestyle, and social channels show no signs of waning in popularity any time soon.
That means that you can expect them to remain an important part of the puzzle if you plan to grow your business in the months and years to come.
So, how can you effectively use social media for your business? Here are some tips:
Utilize Analytics
You can’t determine the success of your social media marketing strategies without tracking data. Google Analytics can be used as a great social media marketing tool that will help you measure your most triumphant social media marketing techniques. On top of that, it determines which strategies are better off abandoned.
You can also attach tracking tags to your social media marketing campaigns so that you can properly monitor them. And be sure to use the analytics within each social platform for even more insight into which of your social content is performing best with your audience.
Engage with Customers
The way we like to think about it is that social media offers an incredible, open-ended platform that businesses can use to communicate and engage with customers. That’s why we recommend using it that way.
The other side is that your customers are the best source of inspiration for content. Lots of businesses are sitting on a never-ending gold mine of content ideas by simply looking at their frequently asked questions, or what people are asking on social media. If you’re stuck on what to post, look to your customers first for ideas before anything else.
Set Goals Realistically
When you’re just getting started on using social media marketing to grow your business, it’s hard to gauge what is feasible and what’s a pipe dream for followers. You might slave away creating a valuable piece of content that only gets a share or two. You may spend hardly any time on a tweet or Facebook post and see tons of engagement.
Don’t spend too much time and energy worrying about your follower count. 100 followers who are engaged and enthusiastic are worth more than 10,000 random follows and bots. This is especially true if your business is highly local, like a real estate agent or a retail shop. Focus on acquiring relevant followers who live in your community, not just anyone on the platform.
Focus on Your Personality
Customers aren’t interested in businesses that publish dry, corporate-style social media posts. Instead, let your brand’s personality shine through in everything you share on social media. What does your brand voice sound like? How does it represent who you are? While brands need to be polite and empathetic to their audiences, it is more important to find a voice and take a stand.
Practice getting your tone just right, whether it’s casual and funny or formal and friendly. Be true to who you are, not who you think you should be. Followers want to see real people behind your social profiles. Show them.
Choose The Right Platform
Different people use different social media channels for different reasons. And so, an important part of learning how to use social media for business is identifying which platforms are right for you and the reasons why your target audience is present on them.
Marketing is all about reaching people in the right place with the right message at the right time, and if you get your choice of platform wrong you can end up reaching the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
By understanding why different people use different social media channels, you can better tailor the content that you’re posting to increase the odds of your brand receiving engagement and ultimately generating tangible results from its time spent on its social media presence.
Key Takeaway
Social media is growing year after year. And because of the number of users actively using and engaging on different social media platforms, using it is the smartest move you can make. At the end of the day, the more you reach out to people, the more visibility and authority you can establish. With the simple and doable tips mentioned above, you can jumpstart your marketing efforts and make your business stronger than ever.
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