Not where you’d like to be with your social
media presence? Don’t worry, you’re not alone - social media is a challenge
(and perhaps even a mystery) for many businesses!
The good news is that the pace of change in
today’s marketing world means that it’s never too late to jump in and compete,
no matter where you’re starting from today.
Here are five things you can do right now to
improve your social media presence and get better results from your social
media efforts
Sharpen Your Strategy
Simply posting content on social media isn’t
enough. Before you can expect to make big gains in your social media results,
you need to take a sharp look at your current strategy, and be realistic about
what’s working and what’s not.
Start, consider the following questions:
●Which social media platforms are you
active on?
●Which social media platforms are relevant to your business
goals?
●Which social media platforms are
providing the most traffic and conversions?
●Which social media platforms are
underperforming?
●What kind of content are you most effective at
creating?
●What kind of content will most effectively
accomplish our social media goals?
Take a step back and really consider these
questions. You may find that you’re wasting your efforts on platforms that
don’t get results, you’re not using the platform’s features to the fullest, or
you’re spreading yourself too thin. Don’t be afraid to change directions in
your pursuit of your goals.
Optimize Current Accounts
Once you’ve decided on your social media
platforms and strategy, you should consider how you can strengthen your
presence by optimizing your accounts.
To start, ensure your profile and header images
are current and clear, and reflect your brand wherever possible.
Next, make sure you are making full use of any
opportunities to add copy, a call to action, and hashtags. Also, check all
links to be sure that they’re working properly.
Finally, remember that your profile shouldn’t be
static, but rather a living asset that changes to reflect current seasons,
campaigns and promotional themes.
Identify Clear Goals
What gets measured, gets managed...and improved.
It’s time to identify clear goals that you will commit to monitoring and
measuring moving forward.
You’ve likely checked your analytics in the
process of evaluating your current social media accounts, so you already have
the information you need to set your goals for the following year.
Remember, your goals don’t need to be elaborate
or involved. A goal can be as simple as increasing your content posting or
mixture. In any case, create goals that inspire you and share them with your
team or peers and mentors that will hold you accountable.
Create a Schedule
We’ve found that in almost 100% of cases, the
most effective social media pros have a thoughtful posting schedule that they
adhere to.
As a result, a big part of the execution of your
social media strategy should be finding out the ideal timing for your content
to maximize reach and engagement, and then creating a schedule around those
times.
A schedule is more than just an alarm clock to
time your posts by though - it also forces you to think ahead about your
content plan. This keeps you from having gaps in your content, and ensures that
you are giving yourself enough time to thoughtfully create your social content
to tie into your greater marketing plans.
Use Video
Many businesses shy away from video marketing,
but it’s effectiveness in unquestionable. Videos are easy and fun to consume,
more engaging, and more likely to hold the attention of your audience for
longer periods of time. In other words, you can’t afford to skip it!
Keep in mind that videos don’t need to be
professionally done to work. In fact, in most cases, an informal and more
relatable video will beat a Hollywood production any day!
A great way to capitalize on video that anyone
can do is to go live. Many social media platforms offer live video options now,
and it’s as simple as turning on your phone or webcam and hitting ‘broadcast’.
Don’t overthink it...just do it!
Get Started
Developing a strong social media presence is
incredibly important in every industry imaginable, today and for the future.
Hopefully, these tips will help you enhance your social media strategy and
smash your goals!