Marketing your business on social media is a walk in the park… in theory. In reality, social media marketing comes with plenty of challenges, many of which can prevent your brand from achieving your goals. It boils down to social media presence and it’s one of the hardest parts of turning that social media marketing campaign into a roaring success.
The first big challenge is, in fact, to build your social media presence. In order to effectively market your brand on social media, you need followers to market to. And the challenge lies in gaining those followers – whether it’s getting them to notice you, or convincing them to follow you. Find out how to increase your social media presence dramatically with the six strategies below.
1. Optimize Your Social Media Profiles
Is your username easy to identify? Will non-followers be able to find your profile easily? Does your profile picture immediately tell people who you are? Building your social media presence begins with improving the visibility of your accounts. This will ensure that your accounts show up when people search social media channels for keywords related to your business.
Start by optimizing your username with your brand name and, if possible, include a relevant keyword. Update your profile picture with an easily-identifiable image, such as your brand logo. And make sure you include relevant keywords in your profile description, post captions, etc.
Take a look at the Twitter profile for app development software Andromo. Both their Twitter handle, and username contain the name of the software, and the username even includes the keyword, “app maker.” They repeat this keyword twice in the description, and also include other keywords like, “app development,” and, “create an app.” Despite using keywords several times, the way they’ve framed the sentences still makes perfect sense.
Additionally, the profile picture is their logo, which is easily identifiable by anyone who’s looking for the brand on Twitter. They’ve also created a cover photo that contains the logo but is a little less formal than the profile picture. This is only one example of an optimized social media profile. Find out how to create your own in this Bit Rebels article.
2. Be Where Your Audience Is
There is one very important thing to remember above all other. [pullquote]It doesn’t matter how amazing your content is if the right people are not there to see it.[/pullquote] If you’re serious about increasing your social media presence, you need to focus your efforts on channels that are actually used by your target audience. Once you’ve established a strong presence on those channels, you can start increasing your presence on other social media platforms.
First, consider the demographics of your target audience. Are you mainly focusing on millennials or senior citizens? Is your target audience mainly comprised of male, or female consumers? For example, if your target audience is adults of all age groups, you can try Facebook, because 79% of all online adults are using the platform, according to the Pew Research Center.
3. Share Content That Adds Value
Give people a reason to follow your brand on social media by adding value to their news feeds. When you share content, make sure it serves a purpose for the audience. Maybe it’s a post containing interesting facts or useful tips that people can use. Or maybe it’s a post that makes them laugh, and entertains them. Either way, your posts should be of some value to the people who are following you on social media.
The Republic of Tea does a great job of this by posting content that their audience will really value. From recipes that use one of their products, to useful tips for tea lovers, their content offers bite-sized info that is both interesting, and valuable.
The following post, for example, is seasonally-appropriate, and useful. They’ve invited followers to check out the link in their bio for instructions to make a similar wreath using leftover tea bag wraps.
4. Be Human
Human interactions can set brands apart from their competitors. Being more human in your social media interactions can help your brand build a strong social media presence. Whether it’s in your responses, your post descriptions, or your photo captions; write as if you’re speaking to your friends.
Maybe a customer posted a comment about a horrible experience they’ve had with your brand. And your social media rep simply copies and pastes a canned response asking the customer to contact customer care. The reply may be prompt, and informative, but there’s a good chance it lacks that, “human touch.” Your audience can easily tell the difference between copy-pasted responses, and responses that are actually heartfelt.
Check out some of Chipotle’s humorous, and lighthearted Tweets below. There’s a reason the Mexican food chain has a strong social media presence. It’s almost as if the brand is an actual person who’s interacting with friends, adding some fun into their lives. Chipotle’s Twitter profile is filled with witty humor and puns related to food.
5. Use Custom Social Media Visuals
On social media, it’s all about the visuals. And your brand’s ability to create attractive social media visuals can have a major impact on your social media presence. Most people use social media to be entertained, so they scan through their newsfeeds, looking for stuff that entertains them.
You’re not going to grab their attention with long text posts. So you’d better get started creating custom social media visuals that will immediately attract your target audience.
There are plenty of tools that can help you customize layouts and graphics to create unique visuals. You could use these images to share useful info, and interesting facts related to your business. Some of the best tools that you can use to create custom social media visuals are Canva, Snappa, and Infogram.
Below, check out an example of a graphic created using Canva. With all of the tools mentioned above, you have plenty of layouts to customize with a myriad of fonts, graphics, and other elements. With the help of these tools, you can create visuals with inspirational quotes, seasonal discounts, promotions, and more.
6. Get Your Fans Involved
Social media is an excellent channel for building a connection with your audience. It also provides you with a platform for giving recognition to your biggest fans. Encourage followers to submit their content tagging you, or using a branded hashtag. You can then feature some of these submissions on your social media accounts.
There are plenty of ways this can work in boosting your social media presence. First of all, you’re engaging your existing audience and making them feel appreciated when you feature their content. Additionally, you have a chance to get noticed by other people within your followers’ circles. So you’re accomplishing two important tasks in one go while fulfilling the bigger goal of improving your social media presence.
WeWork occasionally shares member contributions on their social media. Many member contributions showcase the company’s office spaces. Some posts simply feature photos of the members, like in the Instagram post below. These posts are a way for the brand to show their appreciation to their members.
In the following post, however, they’ve shared a recipe from one of their members, a liquor company. These are both excellent examples of how you can give some recognition to your fans and customers.
Conclusion
The six hacks above are some of the most effective ways to grow your social media presence. Which of these tactics will you be trying first? Are there any strategies not mentioned above that have worked well for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Do you have questions about these tips, or want to learn more about optimizing your social media profiles? If so, just get in touch with me to get your questions answered.
Author Bio: Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant that specializes in influencer marketing, product launches, sales funnels, targeted traffic and website conversions. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.
6 Hacks To Increase Your Social Media Presence
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