The social space is oftentimes an intimidating atmosphere for businesses. Promoting your platform can be challenging especially if you don’t know where to start, and then even more challenging when the algorithm changes. Having a social strategy is the only way to show up online with purpose. Read below for five tips to get your social media jump-started!
Post: This one seems obvious however, this is where a lot of businesses go wrong. You need to create a schedule for your posts. There are sites such as Planoly or Hootsuite where you can link your social accounts and schedule your posts. NEVER miss a day, and your content needs to remain constant but varied. Don’t schedule every day for the same time, change it up to hit different audiences.
Engage: This is the most important thing you can do to sky rocket your social platforms. Engagements are your best friend, say it with me! This is how your platform grows, but it’s not just who engages with you, it's also who you MUST engage back. You have to be active on your own platforms, which will entice people to be active and engage with you, especially on Instagram.
Beat the algorithm: This means to know the rules of the social sites you are on. For example, Instagram engagements are key, right? Yes…but only if you follow the rules. To engage correctly on Instagram, you must comment more than three words to be recognized, they also don’t acknowledge emojis as a proper engagement. Quick google searches can tell you the hidden rules of each platform. As a business account, you have access to your insights and analytics, and you should be checking these as often as possible to know how your content is performing.
Etiquette: Be polite on social media, if someone comments on your photo, thank them, like their comment, check out their page and like a few of their photos. Also, be mindful of your inbox, don’t allow messages to sit for a long time or go unanswered. Treat your inbox like you would your email inbox. This is a great way to make a loyal follower and boost your engagements.
Know your platform: Knowing where you belong is very important in the social space. Some businesses have a spot on every platform, while some only have a space on a few. That’s okay! ProSolutions still hasn’t found our comfortable platform place quite yet, but we keep trying. It’s not how many platforms you’re on, but how successfully you are on them. If you aren’t sure, start out on all of them and see which ones perform best. If they all do well, then keep it up! If it’s only a few, don’t delete your account that isn’t performing well. Most platforms allow you to cross post to other platforms, so keep recycled content going and maybe try again in a few months!
These quick tips are guaranteed to help you show up on social media and grow your platform. With some businesses, social accounts can be one of the biggest representations and growth potential they can invest in. How does your business fit into social media?
