Thanks to everyone who responded to last month’s survey! Below is my lowdown on the most requested topic. I tried to keep it short, but please let me know if you’d like me to further explain any of this. Each of these points could be a whole article :)
1. Find your audience
- Client profile
- Do you know your ideal client’s name? Where do they like to shop? How old are they? Creating a profile to get to know who you’re trying to reach is a crucial early step for every business. It’s also going to be how you learn where to focus your social media marketing.
- Market research
- How are your competitors finding their customers? What unique niche can your business fill? What problem are you solving for your customers? Having these answers is key to successful social media marketing.
- What works for your business?
- What format is the best fit for what you do? Does a photo of your product speak a thousand words? Is 280 characters a better solution? Are you ready to make some videos? Even if one platform seems like it might have better marketing potential on paper, be sure that it’s going to work for what you do.
2. Use your branding
- Logo/profile photo
- Use the same logo or profile photo as the icon for all of your accounts. Make sure that it’s easy to read and professional looking.
- Name
- Try and use an account name as close to your business name as possible. Avoid spaces, dots, underscores or weird spellings if possible.
- Colors
- Whenever possible use your brand colors and imagery so your clients will instantly know it’s you.
3. Be consistent
- Stick to a schedule
- It doesn’t have to be every single day, though it may help, but find a consistent schedule and stick to it. Experiment with timing and formats to see what works best. It’s helpful to bank up a few extra posts in advance for when things get hectic.
- Engage and follow up
- Don’t just post and walk away. Be sure to monitor and respond to comments. Note how people respond and adjust accordingly. Engage with other accounts your customers will see.
- Get help
- You may not be the best person to handle all of this. That’s fine! There are plenty of professionals out there who know what they’re doing. Let me know if you’d like some recommendations.
4. Track your results
- Getting tons of likes on your post may feel great but it doesn’t necessarily help your business. Be sure to have tracking set up and monitored to see your results. Custom URLs and Google Analytics are your friends.
- Be sure your business website is updated and properly linked to. Social media platforms make changes all the time beyond your control. The one place you can truly control your business online is on your website.
Like I said at the top, there’s a lot more to go into for each of these points but hopefully this is a good starting point. I’d love to hear what you think? What aspects of social media have worked for your business? What’s been a challenge?