Social Media has become dynamic and far more aggressive since the global pandemic. Everyone is contemplating venturing into the digital world, and starting earning via online business, but have no or limited clue on the HOW part. Undoubtedly, social media has made the world a global village, and it is an opportunity for people to expand their business, but it is essential to learn the fundamentals first.
We bring you simple tips that will help you create brand awareness and engage with your potential customers effortlessly on social media:
1. Set a clear goal
Currently, every small or big business wants to be on social media. But, they have no idea what they intend to derive from investing so much in terms of time, effort, energy and capital. Defining a clear purpose or goal will direct the efforts of the team and get results relatively fast. Before planning, it is essential to discuss short and long-term goals.
2. Maintain presence of all networks
Social media or digital marketing is not limited to Facebook or Instagram. Yes, Facebook is a leading platform, but you cannot ignore or stay inactive on other platforms like LinkedIn, which is perfect to create authority, Pinterest, Twitter, and other platforms. The idea is to stay consistent and keep track of changing trends so that you don’t have to start from scratch at any channel.
3. Strategize Content
What is that you want to show your clients, how and when? The businessmen make a common mistake, or their marketers are that they post a single post on all the social media platforms. Strategizing means to understand the vibe and audience of the platform, and accordingly publish posts relevant to that platform. Also, it is essential to formal posts according to the channel.
For example, you can post long content on an Instagram post as a story and images, but not on Facebook or LinkedIn.
4. Consistency is the key
Creating a social media strategy and calendar will help you stay consistent. An old saying says, “slow and steady wins the race”. But on social media, “Smart and steady wins the race.” You need to decide the number of posts per day, the theme of the post and purpose; only then you can be consistent. Scheduling the posts in advance also helps to stay consistent.
5. Engagement matters
Do you know Facebook promoted posts that are interactive and have an engagement? Yes! If your post does not have comments or likes, the post will not be floated by Facebook, leading to reduced brand engagement. Engage with your followers by posting questions and actively answering.
6. Applaud and Appreciate
Have you ever wondered why Facebook has given so many likes, comments and emoji options? Have you ever thought about how you can use it in your favour? Facebook is a platform to connect with peers, friends, families and people you idolize. Using emojis, stickers, liking their posts or commenting in groups is a perfect way to engage with them, express your gratitude and develop a sense of belongingness. Appreciation will go a long way and applauding colleagues or team by recognizing their efforts will build unity and teamwork. Something many organizations do on their Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn page.
7. Standout of the crowd
Ordinary and simple things make one stand out of the crowd. Most of the businessmen and companies are focused on promotions, whereas, if your focus is an expression, building connections and emphasis on quality over quantity; you will get the noise you deserve in much less time and with much less effort.
8. Embrace the trends
Social media is fluid, evolving and ever dynamic. You can’t sustain in the digital ocean by being rigid and reluctant to change. The goal should be to become a trendsetter by foreseeing the future; but if not that; you should embrace the wave of change and beat the competition by being ahead and flexible.
9. Work smart by delegating
Another folly of most businessmen is that they want to do all the work themselves. You can’t create strategies, handle all the platforms, analyze trends, comprehend reports and plan for the future. Instead of being a jack of all trades; build a team who can handle your work, and you can be in-charge. It will save you time, and you can use that in planning and strategizing.
10. Build brand over popularity
What do you intend to be? Popular or want to create a brand identity? If brand creation is in your mind, then attracting people can only be a short-term goal, and it should be fueled by relevant, informative and solution-oriented posts. Focus more on quality and create content keeping your target audience in mind.
To conclude, social media is a boon for businesses provided they use it in the right manner. Most of the companies either don’t know what they want, or they don’t have the budget to accomplish goals. Before venturing into the digital world, it is essential to plan the purpose and access the budget to ensure there are no halts on the road to success.