Marketing oneself online has become a skill that is indispensible in this day and age. And getting the right amount of social media traction requires a very active presence. Plenty of new content has to be introduced to keep people interested, but it cannot be so over the top that it feels like an ad. Being authentic and real is the most important thing when communicating to an audience. You have to take into account who you are speaking to, and craft a message based on that.
If you can convince people that what you are selling them will benefit them in some way, you’ll see your company’s margins climb. The best way to do this is to include a lot of information about the products you are featuring, but in a way that is light and entertaining. Check out the following tips on how to craft your social media accounts for maximum traction:
1. Write What you Know
This first tip is not too far from the old adage about writing. The best way to have an avid social media presence is to stick to things you already have a good deal of knowledge about. Why do extra work? There are people in your company who already know what the target demographic wants. If there is something costumers have always been curious about, it is likely to already be on company radar. If one product is more popular than the others, that’s already going to be known by your marketing team. Use these data points to push the direction in which your social media page goes.
People want information from the social media accounts they follow. If you set up your account as a place people can get their questions answered, you’ll see much more traffic on a daily basis. Try posting interesting facts or videos about the merchandise. That’ll be sure to keep people coming to your page, even when they don’t have a pressing concern.
2. Be Consistent and Thorough
One of the worst things that can happen to a page is for it to plateau right after it takes off the ground. One trick to maintaining a thriving page is to constantly post. But it’s also more than that. If you post arbitrarily and frequently, that won’t increase your follower count. You need to analyze how different posts do at a given time. Look at the amount of likes and shares you are getting, as well as any comments. Try posting at different moments of the day and see if you get a new result. It’s all about trial and error. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of what your audience wants the most.
3. Scope out other pages
There is no shame in using other people’s pages for inspiration. Part of what makes the internet great is all the information sharing involved. See what other people are doing and if it’s working for them. This can help you figure out where you should be changing things. Different sites have features that let you check this out in a concise way, including Facebook.
4. Don’t forget to be yourself
At the same time though, don’t become your competitors. What makes your brand special is the fact that it’s yours. Try highlighting what separates you from all the other companies in your field. There are probably plenty of things that make your products much better suited to many of the people you are selling them to. Be sure to talk about that and any other new projects you may be working on. Making yourself stand out is an important part of the social media branding process.
5. Set the stage
It’s not just about the products you are selling. You are selling a lifestyle when you post on social media. Posting a picture and description of the product is only the first step. Next, you have to fluff it up with some additional information or links. Put some context into your posts. If you sell home appliances, such as stoves or different kitchen supplies, putting in your favorite cookie recipe is a great homey touch to your post. If you have holiday themed products, put some countdowns and links to different songs. It’s a great way to make your page all that more fun. Not everything has to be a post of a product. Keep people updated about any big events coming into your industry. People love to learn something new when they scroll through a feed.
6. Use the Holidays to Your Advantage
Holidays are a social media posters dream. It is just another excuse to post something about yourself or your product. The holiday gives you the excuse of putting up much more content. Use any special day, season, or time of year to create a theme around your posts. This will keep interest up and have people coming back to your page.
7. Be Accessible
It’s fine to post lots of content and rely on it for likes, but there is more to social media than just posting. Part of what makes social media exciting is the real time interaction that occurs on so many pages. Make sure to keep up with the comment section of any page you are running and respond as regularly as you can. This makes people feel special and can make them visit the page frequently. If you don’t have the time for that, try to at least reply inadvertently by taking peoples’ comments into account. Use the tenor of the comments to drive the way you post about your next product.
8. Run More Than One Social Media Page
The great thing about social media is that different sites vary in what they offer. In order to take full advantage, make sure to set up different accounts. This way, you can read through responses and see where your consumer base is reacting the most. Every group of people is different. Often, different types of companies will attract different types of people, who like many different pages.
9. Keep Tabs on your Company
Get a sense of how your company is perceived online by keeping up with what is being said about you. It’s important to have your finger on the pulse of what is happening online. Try typing your company name into a search engine. Read through the different articles and reactions about you. This will give you a great idea as to what people think of you and what sort of reputation you have built up. It’s also a great tool for self-improvement.
10. Technology is your Friend
If all else fails, there are plenty of apps and other Internet applications to get you through your social media slump. There are a number of applications that allow you to search through different topics that have been searched, picking out the most popular ones. Pick a topic and type it into Brandwatch. You’ll get a bunch of articles, posts, blogs, and other links that are currently going viral about the topic. You can compare and contrast what posts are successful vs. which flop. It’s a great point of reference.
Differentiating Between Pages
Now that you have gotten tips about posting generally, it’s time to get even more nuanced. Each social media channel has it’s own set of unwritten rules and posts that tend to do better than others. You’ll get the hang of it with experience, but there are basic rules that will make this so much easier.
Professional topics tend to do very well on Linked In, since that is what it was designed for. Any academic or research articles tend to get great feedback here too.
The best way to get likes on Facebook is to pick captivating pictures to attach to your text, or to pick funnier/more provocative captions for your photos.
Instagram is all about aesthetic. It’s important to pick good composition and lighting for your pictures. It’s what keeps people reading on about your post. Picking catchy captions that are not too long is also key. Put in a couple of good hash tags to get it circulating. But don’t saturate it. This is a very cheap trick to get a couple of follows in the beginning and will actually hurt your brand in the long run.
Twitter limits your posts to 140 characters, so screenshots, pictures, and GIFs are a great way to say more by saying less. Use pithy captions and reactions to get more people to follow you.
Whatever medium you choose to go with, so long as you are authentic and focus on your core demographic, you’re sure to get lots of great feedback. Happy posting!
