What can you accomplish in 116 minutes? Believe it or not, a recent study suggests that people spend 116 minutes per day (on average) on social media. In that time, users are engaging with family members, friends, and of course brands. While many brands utilize social as an advertising tactic, most use social as a vital part of their content marketing strategy.
As intuitive as most social channels are, it can be overwhelming to know how to build good traction and gain the ROI you’re hoping for. But fear not – below we dive into four crucial rules so you can get the most out of marketing on social media.
1. Choose the Right Channels
As tempting as it may be to create an account on every social media platform, this is NOT a good strategy in the long run. It’ll ultimately be disappointing to see a low follower count and low engagement, despite the tremendous amount of time and energy you spend publishing on a consistent basis. Before wasting time, go through the effort of researching the channels your audience is spending time on and the ones that align with your industry.
Are you a particularly professional brand with a strong expert following that values thought leadership? LinkedIn may be a good place to start. Does your audience and brand value high-quality visual content? Instagram might be the place for you. Also, don’t forget to keep your goals in mind. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are more suited for brand awareness while Twitter and LinkedIn are helpful when it comes to building a community.
If you’re shooting to create a community, don’t forget that you’re an important piece of the puzzle. If you don’t have the manpower to engage in interactions with your followers, you may want to reconsider your goals, the channel, or make it a point to designate someone that can stay involved on a regular basis. Check out an example of amazing social media engagement by HubSpot:
Lastly, getting your content on social isn’t as simple as creating a post. Think of your social platform as a direct channel to your visitors. The social game is no longer about mass communication. It’s time to be intentional and impeccable. Understand your personas, know the demographics of every social media channel, and narrow down where you should spend your time.
2. Master Your Brand
Consistency is key when it comes to creating content – not just in regards to frequency, but also your brand. Visual design, voice, tone, and messaging all matter when it comes to mastering your brand so that there’s no disconnect across your content. After all, how will people remember who you are if your brand is all over the place? If that doesn’t speak to you, maybe this will inspire you – Brand consistency attributes to a revenue increase of 23%, Take the time to develop a brand style guide so all contributors understand how to convey the brand when they post on social.
Just as important as your brand is your brand story. Every aspect of your brand and content that you produce should work together and serve the purpose of telling your story. Why do your products or services matter? How do they help your users? What you do is not as memorable as why you do it. Your why is how you cut through the noise of unoriginality. It’s how your users connect to you which ultimately builds loyalty and trust. This will eventually lead to earning advocacy from brand evangelists. Just make sure you’re authentic and don’t be afraid to show your brand’s personality.
3. Use Social as a Promotion Tactic
While websites are viewed as the most important digital marketing tool a business can have, that doesn’t mean you can leave everything up to your website. For ultimate success, you’ll need to consider promoting your content through email marketing, advertising, and yes – social media. While you may be on top of your game with organic search, not everyone will find your content by searching the magical keywords you’re trying to rank for. Boost your content by using hashtags, dive into the world of paid social media and influencer marketing, and leverage your best brand advocates – your employees.
Companies often forget that their employees hold a great deal of power. Not only do they have their own base of followers, but they know your brand up close and personal. Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool and the benefits are hard to pass up. According to Hootsuite, posts by employees are 16 times more likely to get read when compared to posts published by a company, and eight times more likely to build engagement.
4. Remember to Monitor & Engage
To build relationships, it’s essential that you check in with your followers. Respond to questions and comments, track mentions of your brand, and manage your reputation by taking care of pertinent issues such as negative comments ASAP. Not only will you be able to establish loyalty, but you’ll have the ability to stay on top of industry trends, learn about your competition and audience, and nurture leads.
Developing a comprehensive social strategy will get you better results. By concentrating on these four rules of social media marketing, you’ll be able to maximize your efforts and see the effects faster than by haphazardly attempting to execute on social media. And if all else fails – we have your back.