8 Things Your Business MUST Do To Succeed On Social Media
CEO of 100 Pound Social
Social media is a global consumer network that, when leveraged properly, can deliver no end of new opportunities to B2B and B2C businesses.
Whether you want to attract new customers, raise brand awareness or deliver better customer service, the first step for every entrepreneur or business owner is to establish a strong online presence.
I’ve put together a list of tips that will help you expand your social presence, and utilise your social media pages to attract new customers and increase awareness of your business.
1. Consistency
Consistent posting is the key to succeeding on any social media channel. It’s so simple, yet it’s the biggest barrier to social media success.
Regularity and consistency are key: posting every weekday allows you to reach your audience and potential customers online regularly.
Whether you set time aside each day to post yourself, hire an intern or an agency like 100 Pound Social, daily posts are the foundations to social media success.
2. Planning
Use your next quiet day to create a social media plan.
- What are you going to post?
- How often are you’re going to post?
- Who is going to post?
Make sure your plan is realistic and you can stick with it even when you get busy.
3. Pick the right social networks
Find out where your target market ‘hangs out’ online and make sure your business is active on those networks.
The right networks for your business will depend on the demographic of your ideal customer, as well as the type of business you run – Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Customer (B2C).
Here’s some tips to get you started:
Facebook – Best for B2C, predominantly females aged 18-49
Instagram – Best for B2C, predominantly females under 35 years old
LinkedIn – Best for B2B, slightly more males, high earners
Twitter – Best for B2B, sometimes useful for B2C, predominantly males aged 18-29
4. Align posts with your brand message
Ensure your brand identity and message are clear; everything you post must be aligned with this image and message.
If you are not sure what your brand message is, take a moment to think about your business and note down:
- What you do
- How you help your customers.
- What you want your customers to be saying about you.
- What is unique about your business (something that your competitors don’t offer.)
If you already have a website, then you probably have a logo and a colour scheme.
Make sure this brand identity is transferred over to your social media pages, so you are instantly recognisable to customers.
For the same reason, it’s also a good idea to use the same photos, logos, bio and business name on each of your social platforms.
- Customer testimonials
- Local or industry community posts
- Press on your business
- Key blog posts
This kind of content might not be super popular but they are vital to building audience trust in your expertise.
The surprising types of posts we create for our clients’ social media pages >
7. It’s not about you
Posting ‘Buy Now!’ messages everyday is a bad strategy. (We recommend 1-2 ‘promotional’ posts per week, max.)
For businesses with a traditionally ‘boring’ product or service, keeping your social pages engaging can seem like a huge challenge.
But some of the best social media campaigns have come from businesses that you might think of as ‘boring’:
Stairfaces and Josephsen Hardwood Floors gained massive attention (and nearly 30K Facebook followers) with their ‘employee of the week’ Facebook posts – featuring a weekly photo of the pet dog in the home they were working on and details of how the dog had helped them that week.
Getting (and keeping) your target audience’s attention is easier that you imagine:
If you are a plumbing business, keep your audience engaged by posting about everyday industry issues that affect them:
- How to save hot water
- The kid’s bath time
- Money saving water / heating tricks
- Staying warm on a cool night
- What to do if your boiler breaks
If you are a B2B company, you could focus on the key ‘pain points’ that your business solves.
Engage your audience by showing that you know and understand their problems and have the experience and expertise to solve them.
8. Use social media to amplify your business
When used properly, social media can amplify all of your marketing efforts.
Having a solid social media plan will bring together your other marketing efforts and make your brand voice even louder.
Despite this, many business are missing out on the lowest cost form of marketing due to:
- Lack of time
- Lack of resources
- Too expensive
By Victoria Lee, CEO of 100 Pound Social
Victoria began her career in journalism. She worked at various publications including the Daily Mirror, before moving into digital marketing. In late 2016, Victoria and her sister Louise co-founded 100 Pound Social.
Create a FREE customised social media plan for your business
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