In today’s digital world, promoting your business through social media is critical. When it comes to communicating with your followers on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, I could spend hours telling you all of the marketing ins and outs, but for now, we’ll leave it to my top five tips!
1. Engage your audience, don’t sell to them.
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is constantly selling their brand to their Social Media following. People who follow you don’t want sales tactics thrown at them every time they open Facebook. Connect and start a conversation with your audience by asking them questions or posting interesting content that isn't always directed to your brand specifically. For example, if you’re a hardware store, instead of only posting photos of items you sell, mix up your posts by sharing a video of your employees explaining a DIY project, photos of patio inspiration, or paint color pallets. Not only will this help to increase engagement, it’s more fun too!
2. Use trending #hashtags.
If you didn’t already know, hashtags have become a huge part of social media. They're important in connecting people from all around the world who are interested in the same topics (think #photography or #fitness or #design). Add one or two relevant hashtags at the end of your post to see an improvement in post interaction!
3. Keep captions/posts short & utilize Stories!
People generally lose interest after a couple sentences, so you'll want to create a caption or post to get them hooked, and include a place for them to go for more information. Many platforms now include "Stories", which is a feature that uses photo and video sequences that disappear after 24 hours. It's a great way to get more personal, create a call-to-action, and start conversations with your followers. Many popular brands use Stories for DIY videos, going behind the scenes of the business, Q & As, and introducing new products or staff members.
4. Include eye-catching visuals in your posts.
In order to turn your followers’ attention to your post amidst countless others, you need to include a visual element other than text. This could be a related photo, a video, a gif, or even a poll! Remember, people are constantly scrolling through their feeds, sometimes seeing hundreds of posts in a day, and you want them to interact with you!
5. Post often. (But not too often!)
It's different for each platform, but generally studies have shown that for optimal engagement, you should plan on posting at least three times a week, but no more than twice in one day. It's a delicate balance, and you have to find what works for you. If you don't post enough, your content won't be noticed, and without engagement, the less it will show up in newsfeeds. On the other hand, if you post too much, people will get tired of seeing your posts and a) they will scroll past your post without interacting, and eventually they won't see your posts anymore, or b) they'll unfollow you and, same result, they won't see your posts.
Want to learn more about any of these topics or interested in something that wasn't listed here? Let us know by commenting below or sending us a message!