No matter what business you’re in, in today’s world you need some kind of social media presence. People are liking, sharing and engaging on their favorite platforms more than ever, and that conversation includes brands and businesses.
Now you might be asking “How can I integrate social media and my business page to win new customers?” No matter what stage of maturity your social media marketing strategy is in, there are some overall best practices you can put in place to better market yourself.
Here are ten social media best practices for brand pages you can start implementing today.
1. Keep it concise
Any content or messages you push out on social media channels should be succinct, and to the point. People don’t have time to read large blocks of text or process overly complex visuals. In general, your Facebook posts should be fewer than 40 characters and Twitter should be fewer than 100.
2. Vary the topics
While your product or service might lend itself to one specific topic, broaden your social media marketing to include other areas. Have some variation in how you present content as well. You can have a mix of some sales-oriented messaging, educational content and light-hearted entertainment. Different topics resonate with different kinds of customers, so by having a variety of social media content you’ll make sure to touch something of interest to all of your customers.
3. Mix up the content
This means having a variety of ways that users can engage with your brand. You should have a variety of photos, videos, articles, blogs and text links. Consider covering industry events as well to show you’re plugged into the industry and add even more depth to your content mix.
4. Ask questions
By asking questions, it gives your readers a chance to engage in a conversation with your brand. If you’re a gardening store chain, for example, ask followers what they’ll be planting in the spring. You can promote restaurants by asking people about their favorite meals. These kinds of interactions not only increase engagement, but help you learn more about your customers. You can then use the Customer Insights Product by Connectivity to access demographic information that will help you tailor social media posts to your target market.
5. Participate in groups
Participating in group discussions on LinkedIn is a great way to demonstrate thought leadership in your particular industry. You’ll also be able to strike up conversations that might lead to new business. Also, don’t overlook Facebook Groups and Twitter hashtags as opportunities to jump in, contribute to the conversation and increase your brand recognition. Any kind of group chat on social media is opportunity to demonstrate expertise and thought leadership.
6. Use actionable hashtags
Whether you’re advertising on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, use hashtags that prompt followers to engage and take some sort of action. Take Nike’s #chooseyourwinter campaign, that prompted runners to post Instagram pictures of their favorite winter running locales. What’s more, these kinds of actionable hashtags creates “community” feeling around a brand and your followers that lends to continual engagement over time.
7. Post consistently and frequently
There’s nothing worse than a social media account that posts inconsistently and only once a week, for instance. You need to make sure to have fresh content and posts in your social media pipeline to give your account credibility over time.
8. Mix professional and homegrown videos
You don’t necessarily need a professional videographer at your disposal to make great videos. Showcase some professionally produced videos alongside more “homegrown” videos that don’t entail high production expenses. Cost savings aside, homegrown videos are also great for humanizing your brand and giving people a glimpse inside your company.
9. Create clear calls to action
At the end of the day, you want your followers to take some kind of concrete steps towards entering the sales funnel. A clear call to action could be “Enter to Win,” “Download Our Free Report,” or “Set Up a Free Demonstration.” Whatever is most appropriate for your product or service, make sure the instructions are clear and that you provide a link for them to follow through.
10. Double check your posts
Your reputation is on the line whenever you post something to social media, so you want to make sure to eliminate any spelling, grammar, punctuation or factual errors. Careless misspellings or grammar decrease the legitimacy of your brand, so the extra time spent to double check is well worth the investment of time.
By following these ten social media tips, you’ll be able to formulate better, more engaging posts no matter which platform you use.
