Social Media Strategy 101
What’s the hardest part of implementing a social media strategy for your business?
If you’re like most small business owners, coming up with unique content is at the top of your list.
With over 3.2 billion people using social media, they have probably seen every kind of social post and advertisement there are to see. Standing out from millions of social posts and capturing the attention of your audience takes a lot of imagination, creativity, and ingenuity.
Videos
Video preference is one of the most important driving forces of using video in your content marketing. Video marketing can capture a wide audience, and it works on many levels. The modern customer wants to see your message or product in action.
Motion graphics
Motion graphics can be used to enhance your social media strategy. It is one of the most popular styles of videos used today by marketers due to its high engagement value.
Gifs
GIFs attract attention because they are easy to watch, offer call-to-action capability, and deliver an impact that can connect your business to your audience.
Social Media Posts
Social media posts must be created specifically for each platform. A Twitter header photo, for example, has the dimensions of 1500 pixels wide by 500 pixels tall. At this time, the correct Google My Business Post image size is 540 pixels wide and 405 pixels tall.
Knowing the proper size of your posts will optimize the exposure of your images. Create shareable content, you don't want to post only for current followers.
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories feature offers a fantastic opportunity to engage with your audience for a quick 15 seconds. Stories last 24 hours on your profile before disappearing. They can increase engagement and exposure of your brand.
Blogging
The recommended blog contains 300-600 words. It is not uncommon to see a blog reach of up to 1,600 words but could be considered an article. Blogging is an effective way to build brand awareness and share relevant and useful content with your target audience. Adding a blog or article tab to your website helps drive traffic to your site and enhance inbound marketing to attract prospective customers.
Branding
Proper branding ensures that your information and business remain recognizable and consistent on all digital platforms.
Logo use and watermarking are important. It allows viewers to more easily find and quickly identify your business and brand as images get shared online. This can be highly beneficial for marketing purposes. Branding your content also helps ensure your product information can not be used by a competitor.
Community
You play an important role in your community. Look for opportunities to connect with your surrounding neighborhoods and be part of the conversation. Check daily for local elementary school plays, college sports, grand openings, activities from parks and recreation and other venues. Liking, commenting, sharing and adding their events to your social calendars will show that you care with your involvement and participation.
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Once you have an online presence your online reputation will grow. Being an active participant in review sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and Better Business Bureau, helps control how you are represented and perceived to your current and future customers. A request to remove a fake, inaccurate, or defamatory review immediately is important.
These tips have given you the opportunity to take your business to the next level.
Your business's online presence is a full-time position. Your current and potential customers aren’t limited to regular business hours when shopping and browsing online. Participating in ongoing education and training to keep up with the latest trends, updates, and changes are necessary for success.
Optimize your social media accounts
Social media has changed the way we run our businesses, and a well planned social media strategy is a key to success. From the way we share and receive news to how we interact with our customers. Social media is everywhere. It’s unavoidable, it’s powerful, and it’s here to stay.