No matter how well your social media marketing campaign is going, there is always room for improvement. But exactly do you improve your marketing on social media? What are proven tactics that work?
Here are some invaluable social media marketing tips and social media marketing ideas which have proven to be successful for large businesses. Whether you are a large business, a small business, or a sole trader, these ideas can be tweaked to suit your own brand and they can work really well for your own individual campaign.
Try these social media marketing ideas
- Re-evaluate your approach to social media
Has your current approach to social media marketing been successful?
It’s important to know that what works well for one brand may not be the best approach for another brand.
According to Facebook research, the top brands on Facebook each posted no more than 35 updates in a two-week period. Fan bases are seen to grow more with fewer (but consistent) updates. This suggests that a brand needs to update regularly but not saturate its followers’ news feeds with invaluable content. Make each and every post matter.
- Create a cover photo to promote events
Your cover photo on Facebook is like a billboard – and it’s the perfect place to showcase who you are. You can either choose a single, permanent image for your Facebook cover photo to maintain consistency of your social media profile, or you can use this valuable space on your profile to showcase new products, special events, specials and promotions. It can also be a great place for a seasonal image (for example Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, spring/winter and so on).
- Use appropriate and related hashtags
Hashtags are powerful when used properly. They make your posts automatically recognisable to fans when you consistently use a hashtag that directly relates to your brand or your product. Don’t indiscriminately use hashtags – choose a small number that make sense for your brand, your product, or your service and include these on all posts, particularly those on Twitter and Instagram.
- Fulfil the requests of followers
Many modern consumers rely on social media channels for support for websites and products. The faster you respond to customer queries and complaints that are delivered to you on social media, the better for your brand and your business. Minimal response times are crucial – so it’s worth having a team of people on hand to monitor your social media profile for follower and consumer requests. When you respond in a prompt manner, your page likes and shares will grow and your reputation will benefit.
- Launch new products on social media
Social media is a fantastic place to broadcast new product launches. The social media audience is potentially unlimited, and users love to see something new. From a new profile or cover photo to posts with superior quality images, there is no better way to get the word out on the new goodies you have to offer.
- Use Instagram to generate consumer interest
Instagram is arguably the fastest growing mobile app today. It is estimated to have 15 times more engagement than Facebook; hence it’s a great place to use premium images to create content that will generate consumer interest in your brand. Tweet links to Instagram photos, link Instagram to your Facebook profile, and add links on your landing page to Instagram and vice versa. By linking your social media marketing across multiple appropriate channels, the results will speak for themselves.
- Brevity is the key to success
Yes, Facebook does allow you to post copious amounts of content. But for top engagement and exposure, the ideal Facebook update is short and sweet – as few as 40 characters can pack a big punch if it’s composed well. Social media users are in it for their ability to quickly scroll, often saving longer posts or links to read later. Long initial posts will, more often than not, not be read. SO keep updates brief and to the point.
- Offer superior customer service
When you deliver the very best customer service, you minimise negative feedback and not only build your brand’s good reputation, but also build your customer base and generate new leads. Posting on social media does open a brand or business up to publicly receiving feedback which may be positive or negative; by offering the best in customer service both on and off social media, you will minimise any negative chatter that may occur.
Respond to all feedback, both positive and negative. Ideally, move negative discussions out of the public domain as quickly as possible. Actively listen to complaints, respond politely and calmly, and rectify the issue quickly.
- Direct users to your landing pages
Your landing page could be your website home page, your preferred social site, your onsite blog, or a purchase page. Always provide shortened links to your landing pages in your social media profile and posts so that consumers can easily be directed to where you most want them to go – generally a place where they can complete a purchase. Without landing pages, your marketing strategy is missing a critical piece of the puzzle.
- Post at the best times
The timing of your posts matters too. This is dependent on your chosen social channel, your target audience, and their most active times on social media. This requires some research and analysis as well as a degree of trial and error. Look at what you have been doing, what time your posts get most engagement, and modify your strategy to comply better with your most successful posting times.
- Start social conversations with a question
Ask your fans and followers their opinion. Questions are a great driver of engagement, they make users feel important and heard, and they are fantastic for gaining insight for market research. Make questions short and simple to answer, and you might be surprised just how much engagement your posts get!
- Interact with your followers
This may be the most important of social media marketing tips we can give you: Engagement matters. You must interact with your followers as opposed to simply broadcasting to them.
Additionally, it’s really important to follow up with your fans when you run a contest on Facebook. Don’t forget to announce winners on your page and stick to time frames given in the original competition posts. There is no better way to publicly legitimise your competitions and this benefits your brand.
- Don’t forget calls to action
You need to make it really clear to your fan and followers just what it is you want them to do.
Buy! Shop! Save! Comment! Explore our Website!
All are valid calls to action and you need to be clear and concise each and every time. Make it very clear when offers are time sensitive. Make it stand out and the response will likely be impressive.
These are just a few of many social media marketing ideas which can be very helpful in creating a social media marketing campaign that will succeed.
Remember, social media marketing is a marathon, not a sprint – so be patient, be committed, be willing to fine tune your approach, and in time you will see great results.
If you are looking to use your social media channels as a customer service tool, we have the perfect blog for you!
>>>> How to use social media as a great customer service tool
True or false? Most consumers these days expect their preferred brands and service providers to have an active presence on social media. Providing not only product showcases and brand snippets, but also superior customer support, is crucial to your overall social media engagement strategy.
According to a survey by J.D. Power (Source: groovehq.com), almost 70 per cent of consumers look to a brand’s social media profiles for customer support.
They expect that in doing so, they will receive high quality service and a prompt response.
Why is great customer service so important?
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Meanwhile, is your want to know more about social media and SEO … here’s everything you need NOW!
>>>> SEO and social media: What you need to know NOW
DID YOU KNOW: Social media represents not only a valuable marketing tool for businesses and brands of all sizes; it is also a powerful tool which can immeasurably enhance search engine optimisation, or SEO.
SEO and social media marketing go hand in hand in any brand building strategy. A good SEO strategy will incorporate social media optimisation into its overall SEO effort, and social media is very connected to SEO.
Social media marketing that is executed in a smart way is a brilliant strategy for SEO.
What you need to know about SEO and social media
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We find LinkedIn to be best platform … do you?
One of the best ways to optimise your content is to use LinkedIn as a promotion and blogging tool.
Not only do we share a bunch of valuable, relative and useful info on our blogs, but we’ve got a free LinkedIn eCourse to help you get the most out of this platform especially for B2B enterprises. If LinkedIn is your preferred social media channel, take a look at this course to raise your profile, generate leads and boost your business – so LinkedIn can start working for you.
