How to Step Up Your Social Media Game for 2019
By Bethany, Social Media Strategist | November 1, 2018
Are you using social media to its full advantage to build your business? Have you even started? If 2019 is the year that you embrace social media for business promotion, now’s the time to put your strategy together. Your best results will come from identifying which platforms work best for you – as well as knowing when, what, and how you will communicate with your followers.
We’ve put together an e-book that delves deeper into the subject, and further explains our suggested best practices. But here are some highlights:
Pick the Right Platform
Before you set up an account on every type of social media platform there is, use this basic rule of thumb to identify which one(s) will reach your target customers.
My audience is >35:
- Youtube
- (Twitter)* maybe
My audience is <35:
- (Instagram)* maybe
It’s better to develop better content in platforms that will make a difference for your business, rather than spread yourself too thin spending time on all of them. Consider where your audience is, and create accounts accordingly.
Make Sure Your Messaging is On Brand
Content differs based on social media platform. Facebook and Instagram are more lifestyle platforms, and relatable, authentic content performs best, as opposed to sales messages. Twitter and LinkedIn are great platforms to share industry articles and information, as well as a place to network with others.
Suggested content for social media feed:
- Shared articles relevant to your brand
- Questions to your customers about your brand and their experiences with it
- Videos featuring behind-the-scenes content
- Personal testimonies/stories
- Shared inspirational quotes
- Attractive product photos
You Must Engage with Your Audience
Besides content, the MOST important thing to do is to engage with your audience on social media. It shows your gratitude to the consumer when you answer them on social media, and helps to build those B2C relationships.
Some ways to engage:
- Create a branded hashtag to encourage sharing
- Answer users’ comments
- Use Calls to Action (CTAs) in posts
- Ask your users to share photos in the comments sections
- Create photo contests
Keep Up With Posting
There is rhyme and reason to the frequency that you should post, and most of it has to do with algorithms. These are general industry recommendations. Every brand is different, of course, and posting too frequently will turn consumers off. More importantly, WHAT you post is more important than how often you post.
Basic posting guidelines:
- Facebook: 1 post per day
- Instagram: 1-2 posts per day
- Twitter: 5-20 tweets per day
- LinkedIn: 1 post per day on weekdays
- Pinterest: 5-11 pins per day
Start now, and you will be on the right track to grow your brand presence on social media next year! If you need help, you can reach out to me personally at Bethany@bbggadv.com.
