Ten social media tips to jump-start your business marketing

Just getting started on social media? Here are a few social media tips to help jump start your campaigns!

The #1 rule is authentic engagement. Auto-posting is fine for standard messages but it’s critical that even if you are outsourcing the scheduling of most of your social media, that as the owner of your company you are checking in at least once a week or sending over authentic content such as random on the scene photos from the office, tips and tricks that came up for customers that week or other active live engagement. Even if you delegate out most of the work (and most busy entrepreneurs needs to delegate at least some of their social media in order to focus on other aspects of the business) it’s important to provide hands on information to give your audience the most authentic voice for your business when opportunity arises.
Don’t be afraid to enlist your employees’ help or a virtual assistant to help you plan your messaging or contribute content ideas for your social media marketing. Your employees work your business every day and will have solid suggestions to help you. A virtual assistant can provide professional advice and craft well-written copy for your scheduled messages.
If you are active on social media, make sure social media icons are on all your print material so people know they can find you on their favorite platform.
Building relationships on social media takes time, so consistency is key. Share your company’s successes, funny moments and more to build authentic relationships. Create a regular schedule of posts to keep up a regular stream of content. It won’t happen overnight but your hard work will pay off.
Photos, photos and more photos. We cannot emphasize this enough. Pictures really do speak a thousand words and the best way to capture your audience’s attention (other than video).
Video too! If you’ve got a good cell phone video camera, craft some tips to talk about for 30 seconds on camera. Put the phone on a tripod and talk away. Raw and candid is exactly what people love. Be sure to turn that phone sideways so you don’t have black bars up the side of your video – sideways meaning your phone is horizontal when facing you! Short announcements, quick tips, small office tours, special updates and more all make great on the spot video content. Complete a special project – get a video of it!
Businesses on Facebook need to be budgeting for a small amount of advertising to occasionally boost their content to reach beyond their current base of fans. It’s almost as important as print advertising these days for most industries. This goes for other social media networks too, if it’s appropriate for your target market.
Focus on one or two social media accounts to start – no need to spread yourself thin while you get started. That said, be sure to claim your business accounts even if you aren’t using them so no one else can claim your business social media networks!! Make sure your social media branding matches your website.
Figure out your target market and how you can reach them using social media. Where are they hanging out? Are they professionals connecting on LinkedIn? Are you a B2B business? If you have high volumes of products, especially those in retail, Pinterest is a great option to consider. Is your audience on the go? Twitter or Instagram are great for that. They also reach a younger demographic. Where are they learning, interacting, playing? Invest in those networks. Don’t know your target market or how to find them? Ask a marketing expert for help (like us!)
Maximize groups so that you can connect with potential clients/customers looking for your product or services. Facebook and LinkedIn both have active group features to share your information. Find the right groups and don’t spam!