While social media can be such an effective tool, it’s best to approach with a strategic plan. This is especially true if you’re managing a business and want to gain visibility. When you’re a business owner, you can’t approach Facebook in the same manner that you would for a personal page. However, with planning and preparation, you can use various social media platforms to propel your business in front of new customers on a daily basis.
Differences Between Platforms
While it’s a great idea to have a strong presence on multiple platforms at one time, be mindful of the work it takes. When you’re first starting out, there are many marketing professionals that will suggest that you manage one or two platforms at the beginning. Once you master the ability to get results on one or two platforms, you can then expand your brand to more platforms. Otherwise, you run the risk of being ineffective across multiple platforms. The strategies that work on a platform like Instagram are not the same ones that will work on Facebook or Twitter. While you can present the same message, you’ll want to develop a specific communication style for each platform. Instagram users tend to love high-quality pictures on a consistent basis. Facebook users tend to love long-form, heartfelt testimonial posts and videos. Since Twitter users only have a limited number of characters they can use at once time, quick, witty banter is highly-regarded on that platform. It’s also important to recognize factors like the frequency of your posts and how often you post. Do thorough research to learn what is the best time to post on social media. Each platform is different, so you’ll want to take that into account.
Content Curation
As each platform is different, your content will vary as well. If you’re on Instagram, photos and word graphics can take you far. Similar rules apply to sites like Pinterest. Knowing this, do your best to curate content in advance. You can opt to use a scheduling system to automate posts based on your followers’ interests. If your followers tend to gravitate more to videos that demonstrate how to use a product you’re selling, create a bunch of videos. Edit and upload them to the automated scheduling system. When you can create and curate a bunch of content in advance, this helps you to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to visibility. It also helps you develop a reputation as a company that produces quality.
Interaction and Engagement
Especially when you’re first beginning, it’s essential to spark conversation. It might be incredibly uncomfortable at first. However, you want to create a space for your followers to feel like they’re connected with you. Say you deal with franchising, social media can make it so easy for people to check out these franchise opportunities if you regularly engage with them. Across many social media platforms, there is a live feature. Whether it’s once a day or once a week, take time to go live. Many social media platforms allow their algorithms to prioritize social media accounts that go live on a consistent basis. When you opt to use the live feature, acknowledge people as they log on. Greet them and thank them for logging. Then, begin to ask questions. As you share your content and ask questions, this will keep more people engaged during your live stream. If you are nervous about the idea of going live, write down your talking points in advance. It’s also a great idea if you can have someone to do it with you. Once you plan out your talking points and have a plan for the length of time you’ll go live, you’ll develop more confidence. Furthermore, the more often you do it, the more likely you’ll be able to see an increase in the number of engaged followers you have on social media.
Collaborations
Instagram has a live feature that allows you to go live with someone else. Another user can ask for permission to join your live event and collaborate with you. This is powerful because it automatically introduces your brand to a new set of followers. While you might not want to collaborate with your competitors, find brands that can provide a fruitful partnership. If your company sells organic baby food, consider collaborating with a brand that directly relates to helping working mothers balance it all. You can also collaborate with a brand that targets people who are learning to be better cooks on the Whole 30 diet. Within those two niches, you’ll run into plenty of parents who are interested in making sure they feed their children organic baby food. Think outside of the box when you’re preparing for collaborations. It’s also wise to set goals regarding how often you’d like to collaborate with various brands. When you collaborate on a consistent basis and diversify your collaborations, you’ll be able to gain traction at a faster rate. This is why partnerships are so important. People and businesses are stronger when they work together.
