Social Media Marketing has become a must-have for all businesses whether you are a marketing manager for a Fortune 500 company or an entrepreneur just getting started. It’s easy to get in a rut of sell, sell, sell. But it’s that attitude that will leave you feeling like you’re spinning your wheels and not getting anywhere. The problem?
Focusing on Media Marketing “Not Social”
Remember whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or one of the other networks, it is first a social network. It was designed to connect you with others that have similar interest and build community. Many business people have forgotten that and just consider social media another advertising channel. Have you?
Take a step back and think about how you can put the social aspect first in your social media marketing strategy.
Are you focusing on building relationships and connecting with your audience?
You need to be responsive to audience comments, questions, and concerns. When you read what others have posted (and please DO read), be sure to respond in some way. This may be as simple as pressing “Like” or leaving a comment. When you leave a comment, make sure it is something helpful that adds to the conversation. Don’t hi-jack the post by turning it around to focus on you.
Are You Visible to Your Followers?
Visible? Does that mean you have to post videos or be on Facebook Live all the time? No. There are many ways to make videos you can post online without being in front of the camera.
- Whiteboard videos
- Graphic videos with voice over
- Animated videos
- Slideshows
Now that I have you thinking about how you can use video without you at center stage, try to think of other ways.
Another question I hear is, “Should I post every day and how many times a day?” There is not a ‘magic number’ that works for everyone. Your optimal posting schedule will depend on your type of business and your audience. Think about who your ideal customer is and when they are online. This can involve a bit of trial and error but Coschedule has done some of the heavy lifting for you. Use their research to narrow down your choice, How Often To Post On Social Media.
It’s not all about you.
Don’t post only about your services or product. If all your followers see from you is blatant advertising, you will quickly loose them. Instead, post content that is helpful to your followers. For example, if you are a business consultant, consider posting articles on managing a team, employee evaluations or leadership.
Outsource and Automate but don’t over-do it.
No doubt about it, social media can be a gaping black hole that sucks in all your time. The answer is to outsource and automate as much as you can while remaining present.
At HIT Virtual we write and post social media for others. But we also encourage them to log on daily for personal responses and engagement. There are many tasks that can be automated such as, a thank you tweet for connecting or pre-scheduling posts, but your readers want to connect with you personally at least part of the time.
Are you posting when your audience is logged on?
How often do you scroll more than the first page on a social media site? For me, it’s almost never. This means that you have a window of time you can get in front of your audience. If you are not posting when they are reading, they may never see your posts. Lucky for us, there is plenty of research about our audiences surfing habits. For more info see this blog post. Most platforms have analytics built in so you can readily see when your audience is online. That is the time to post, interact, and share.
Now, evaluate your social media marketing. Look specifically at the six tips I gave you here. Are you hitting the mark to keep social media social? If not, decide what changes you need to implement now. If you already utilize these tips, congratulations! If you have a tip, I didn’t share please post a reply so you share with others.