Social media is a fantastic way to get your business in front of a colossal audience (at the end of 2017, Facebook had 2.2 billion monthly active users!), raise awareness and drive conversion.
However, figuring out how to best use social media for your business can be a bit of a nightmare.
Which platforms will give me the best ROI? What type of content should I use? When should I post? How often?
The questions can be endless – and yet they all need answers for social media to work effectively.
So, to take some weight off your shoulders, here’s a quick guide on how to get started on social and get the most out of your content’s organic performance.
Psst, have a little read if you’re interested in advertising on social.
Focus On Content Production
Naturally, we’re advocates of using high quality content wherever possible however, when it comes to social, this really is a necessity.
Users have become accustomed to professional-grade photography and video wherever they go, with iconic brands such as GoPro, Lush and General Electric raising the bar for expectations of social media content.
This is largely due to their stockpiling of highly engaging imagery and video, coupled with a perfectly executed social media strategy.
Knowing what content resonates with your audience is the first step you need to take in growing your fanbase and making social media an integral part of your marketing mix.
Where possible, post images and video (preferably the latter) and avoid using purely text. Images and videos are known to dramatically outperform text-only posts, resulting in higher organic reach and engagement. Plus, you can always reuse this content across different marketing channels.
Figure Out What Works (& Why)
Keeping a track of your highest performing posts is incredibly important in making the most of every precious second you spend on social media.
Generally, your engagement on, and traffic from social media will increase as your following grows, however, this can be supercharged by keeping an eagle eye on your metrics.
Do lifestyle product shots of your latest swimwear catalogue attract a better response than those with white backgrounds?
Or maybe your fans adore technical close ups of your motorbike engine but aren’t particularly bothered about those idyllic sunset adventure shots.
This kind of feedback can help you to really hone in on your social strategy and ensure you can consistently cram your fans’ feeds with irresistible content.
Algorithms on non-chronological timelines have become pretty savvy over the years, so you’ll need to feed them the right content (the content your fans love the most) in order to maximise your metrics.
Create a Content Plan
As with any other aspect of marketing, creating a well-structured plan will help you to not only focus on key dates in your calendar, it will also minimise the time you spend managing your social accounts.
By simply creating a basic excel template, you can quickly begin planning out the next week, month or quarter. This will help you to quantify your workload, set priorities and save any last minute frustrations.
Content calendars allow you to visualise what social looks like over any given time period and you can also begin to include categories and other columns to get even more tactical.
With or without a plan in place, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, but a content calendar is your best friend in making managing social media more…manageable.
Use a Scheduling Tool
A social scheduling tool is the next arrow in your quiver when it comes to efficient social media marketing.
There are a number of great tools out there to help you schedule posts across all your accounts without having to go into each platform separately, and some are even free!
We recommend checking out these classic schedulers:
One centralised platform will help make life that much easier and give you immediate visibility over what’s happening in all your accounts.
Consider an Influencer Strategy
Influencer Marketing may sound like 2018’s hottest digital marketing gimmick, but it’s quickly becoming a fundamental part of social media for many brands.
It’s undeniable that the plethora of social media “celebrities” out there have mastered the art of reaching a sizeable audience, so why not reach out and form a marketing alliance with them?
Influencers can help you subtly make an impact on their audience through sponsored product mentions in their posts or references to a service you offer.
You don’t need a 7 figure contract with Kim Kardashian to make an impact – spend some time locating notable figures in your industry and contact them to get started.
Whilst you may need to make a small contribution to the influencers you work with, you’ll probably be surprised at what’s possible with any given budget.
Working alongside influencers allows you to greatly expand the reach of your brand, with content appearing on a variety of different accounts, rather than simply relying on your own.
Communicate with Your Followers
Now that you’ve amassed a sizeable following, make sure to communicate with them.
Initiate conversation with quality posts (check out polls on Facebook and Twitter) and ensure all private messages and comments are responded to wherever appropriate.
Customer queries on websites and social media can often be the final obstacle in securing those all important conversions and this has become the driving force in the mass-advent of technologies such as chatbots and live chat.
Whilst you don’t necessarily need to take the plunge into acquiring these tools, understanding the importance of communication on social media will help you to drive the perception of your brand and provide excellent customer service.
After all, if you’re sharing compelling content, you’re bound to spark a conversation at some point.
Stay On The Ball
Our final tip is quite simply to stay on top of it all.
The internet has changed marketing forever, and it’s the same story when it comes to social media.
Be sure to stay clued-up on all the latest improvements in Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and any other platform you use. Sites such as Social Media Examiner and Marketing Land are great places to start.
In just the last few years, we’ve seen the emergence of AR and VR, dramatic algorithm updates, the cold war of functionality between Snapchat and Instagram, increased localisation through Facebook Global Pages and so much more.
Get there before your competitors do and make the most of any new features as much possible.
Névé Studios specialise in producing jaw-dropping content for ethical brands.
If your business is in need of a content injection, or you’re having trouble with your social media strategy, get in touch!