Social media is an important way to connect with your target audience. It’s not just about having an online presence, but also about interacting, engaging and building your profile. This can take time and commitment to develop but is well worth the time invested. Here are a few simple ideas to help you manage and improve your social media profiles:

1. Choose your platform

There are so many platforms out there, but don’t let this intimidate you. You don’t need a profile on every platform, research the different options and select the ones you think your customers would benefit from and use most.
Consider:
Is your target audience B2C or B2B?
What age are they?
What do you want to achieve through social media?
What platforms are your competitors using?

2. Create a content planner

This can be anything from a word document, to a spreadsheet or even calendar notifications. Set time aside each week or month to plan what you want to talk about, when you want to post and on what platforms. If you need some inspiration, look at popular hashtags such as, #ThrowbackThursday or #MondayMotivation and tailor your content.

3. Remember to engage

Social media isn’t just about posting, in fact it’s quite the opposite. The clue is in the name, it is about being ‘social’. Remember to reply to comments and engage on other people and businesses posts too. You want to start a conversation to build relationships and show a clear tone of voice. People want to communicate with a business through other means than just phone and email, so make sure to check notifications to keep on top of communication.

4. Tailor your content

Your audience may vary on different platforms. For example, those using LinkedIn may be looking for more professional interactions and have making connections in mind, whereas Instagram users want visual impact. Facebook users tend to want the ability to share and communicate. Your message may need to change depending on the social channel.

5. Don’t be too salesy

We’re not talking about social media advertising (this is a whole other story), we are talking about the type of content you’re sharing. You want to focus on interacting and expressing your knowledge and sharing positive feedback.

In fact, it’s recommended that businesses keep their promotional content to 20%, while the lion’s share of content should be dedicated to meeting the needs of your audience, through sharing best practice and offering advice.

6. Drive traffic

Make sure you’re frequently linking to your website. You want to drive traffic there so your audience can find out more, and ultimately build a relationship. An excellent way to do this is to write blogs or post news. This will share knowledge and demonstrate your expertise.

7. Make the commitment

You should continually be monitoring your social media channels and updating the content you share. If a user visits your profile and sees there has not been any activity for the last 6 months, they are not likely to revisit or engage.

Social media is a powerful tool that will help create connections and build relationships. It will be worth your time if handled correctly. You can always enlist the support of an agency to help get you started.