In today’s dynamic world, social media are increasingly important for brands looking to broaden their reach. Whether on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok, companies need to learn about the right techniques and how to effectively use them to maximise success.
First things first, let’s start with what you must NOT do when using social media to promote your brand, its products and/or services 🙅
- Bombard your Followers
Favour quality over quantity; no need to post every day and, when you do, make sure your publications are actually of added value to your Followers.
- Ask for too much
Don’t impose, rather invite. Interact with your audience through creative and engaging posts that will have them like or comment, buy or promote your products & services, without even having to ask.
- Use an excessive number of hashtags
The number of hashtags to use at the end of posts varies from one platform to the next, so make sure you’ve done your homework before you start throwing around a useless amount of irrelevant hashtags. Research the ones that are truly pertinent and appealing to your audience.
- Share “unauthorised” content
If you plan on sharing pictures, videos or other kinds of posts on your page, do seek the original creator’s permission before you do. Also do some digging to make sure that what you’re resharing is accurate, or else your credibility could take a big hit!
Now that you know all about the things you must NOT do when promoting your brand, its products and/or services on social media, let’s move on to the things you should ABSOLUTELY give a go to! 12 techniques to improve your social media presence effectively 👇
- Update your profile
In addition to having a profile picture and cover photo that reflect your activity sector and match your brand aesthetic, you must make sure to fill in the relevant sections with enough details to facilitate users’ interaction with your brand. Write yourself a cool bio, insert all your contact information as well as some clickable links to your website and other digital platforms.
- Create and stick to a posting schedule
Start by creating a posting schedule; identify the best times to post, based on your Followers’ login habits and the geographical location of your target audience, as well as your industry sector. Now stick to this schedule, planning your posts in advance to maintain an active social media presence.
- Select relevant platforms
Instead of being present on every social network that exists, choose 2 or 3 platforms which you’re most comfortable with and/or that your target audience uses. Do your best to master the art of communicating on these specific platforms and produce high-quality content that fits your social media strategy and contributes to building strong relationships with your Followers.
- Interact with your Followers
Social media are called as such for a reason, so make sure your pages are a place for people to actually socialise. If they comment on your posts or send messages, do your best to respond as promptly as possible. You can also start the conversation by creating polls, asking questions or encouraging user-generated content.
- Be the bigger person
Take criticism constructively, responding to all negative comments with a well-thought-out and polite answer. Treat your Followers with as much respect as you would a client, acknowledging their complaint and doing your best to resolve the issue.
- Review your posts
Check the spelling and grammar of your captions and that of the taglines featured on your visuals to make sure they’re error-free. Also fact-check your posts for accuracy, ensuring any claims you make are true. This will do wonders for your credibility!
- Attach a visual
Capture your Followers’ attention by attaching a visual to your post. It can be a picture, a video, a creative image, even a graph. Visuals take up more screen space and allow you to promote your brand, its products and/or services creatively.
- Follow your brand guidelines
If you don’t have a set of brand guidelines, determine specific fonts, colours and types of visual to use on social media and follow them at all times. This will ensure consistency and help people easily recognise your brand online.
- Deblock an advertising budget
It’s all well and good to produce creative textual and visual content for your Followers, but your audience extends way beyond those lines. To broaden your reach, you must deblock an advertising budget that will help you target the people you’re looking to attract. Having an advertising budget can also help you increase post engagement and drive more traffic to your website, hence improving your overall return on investment.
- Jump on the bandwagon
Follow current trends and identify the ones that appeal to your target market, then adapt your content accordingly so it’s relevant to your audience. It can be anything – just make sure you do it right so it has the desired impact.
- Tell a story
Promoting your brand on social media isn’t just about sales. It’s about humanising your company and building a trust relationship with your audience. Paint a vivid picture in your audience’s mind, telling your Followers’ what’s in it for them.
- Compile a report
Source and evaluate social media analytics weekly or quarterly, grouping them into graphs to better understand your content’s performance. This will greatly help you when brainstorming for your future campaigns.
Et voilà, you know everything there is to know about social media marketing! And don’t worry nor forget: when in doubt, call it out – we, at Beyond Com’, would be more than happy to assist you with all your social media marketing needs!