Social media is seen to be one of the "must-haves" for any business. In the business marketing toolkit, it now sits there alongside websites.
But for many, managing the social media for their business can be a daunting prospect.
If that sounds like you, here are three tips to help you accelerate the growth of your social media channels.
Tip 1 - Plan ahead
For many businesses, social media is quite far down the to-do-list and ends up being a reactive rather than proactive activity.
Now, reactive marketing can be fantastic. It’s normally the stuff that gets the most plaudits. But when it’s used because you ran out of time rather than you’re jumping on some hot trend, then it’s not so great.
By creating weekly, fortnightly or monthly content plans you can be sure you have posts going out on a regular basis. The tricky part is knowing what to include in these posts.
We've become experts at creating engaging pre-planned content and the one thing to remember is that the more relevant the posts are to your business, the better. Don't be too vague. Don't try and jump on trends or awareness days that don't fit your brand. Don't do something just because everyone else is.
Instead, think about doing a top tips series, profile different staff members or share content linked to relevant awareness days.
Tip 2 - Be consistent
Being consistent is applicable in two ways. The first is to be consistent with your plans. Once you start doing them, make sure to set aside a reasonable amount of time to keep them ticking over each week, fortnight or month.
The second way to be consistent is with your messaging. You need to decide what you’re trying to convey to your followers.
Are you trying to be a thought leader? Display certain characteristics? Highlight a key point of difference?
Whatever it is, try and weave this through your content.
Now, not all posts are going to be relevant and it might be odd to mention it every time. Try to plan content that can be linked subtly if possible, but don't force it.
You may have heard of the Rule of 7 in marketing. This is the idea that people need to see or hear a message 7 times before they act on it.
Tip 3 - Sell less
To some people, this might seem a bit odd. But stick with us!
When you’re scrolling through your social media platform of choice on your lunch break, in an evening or killing time at your desk, do you want to read a sales pitch? No.
You want to be entertained and informed. So, try and do the same for your audience.
There is definitely a time and place for selling. But try and use sales posts sparingly.
If you use the first two tips and build a strong brand on social media then, when you do share a sales post, it will be more effective than constant spamming.
Gary Vaynerchuk uses a great boxing analogy to explain this approach to social media content... jab, jab, jab, right hook. (He even wrote a full book about it!).
The idea behind this is to provide value on numerous occasions before you ask for something in return. This way you build brand value and give people a reason to buy before you “sell”.
Wrapping up
There you have it. Three simple tips to help you ace social media.
If you consistently implement this advice, you will begin to see your brand grow and will have a solid foundation to test and experiment upon.
So, what are you waiting for? Social media dominance awaits...