Social media is ever-changing and it has become an important aspect of every businesses marketing strategy. It’s no longer enough to post links and share articles: you need to use social media to define your brand, create a voice and cultivate an audience. More importantly, you don’t need to be on every platform to succeed. Each social media platform has a unique purpose and as a business owner it’s important to identify your demographic so you can use the right platform to reach your audience!
FACEBOOK:
Facebook is built for sharing events and utilizing the advertising software. It’s built to be a social network and many use it to connect with like minded individuals. It utilizes social graph and activities to pinpoint those who fall into your buyer demographic. By sharing updates and encouraging followers to share, you can increase engagement and find stronger leads.
For businesses, Facebook is a place to share photos, updates, and general news with those who follow or “like” you. Fans of your business come to your Facebook page to find out what’s going on with your company, see pictures of what’s going on, or explore events.
How to use Facebook for marketing
It’s important to start by building your fanbase on Facebook. Publicize your page and post a link to it anywhere you can, including adding a social icon onto your website. Facebook is built for engagement; you want to encourage followers to “like”, “comment”, and “share” your posts so it’s important to post questions, surveys, funny quips and photos of the business. The more your page is engaged with, the more likely it will show up in people’s timeline organically. You can also use Facebook to share your pages into private groups (for example: if you’re a restaurant, you can join a foodie group) to get you even more exposure. It’s important to keep in mind that many use Facebook as a personal network to connect with their friends or loved ones. Your brand needs to fit into this atmosphere naturally in order to keep people interested in what you’re posting. So don’t make it solely about selling.
Tools to utilize: Advertising
Facebook is one of the most comprehensive online advertising platforms today. It uses social graph and activities to pinpoint those who fall into your buyer demographics, making Facebook highly effective for turning leads to sales.They help make sure your advertising budget isn’t wasted on those who aren’t really interested in what you’re offering and helping to put product or service put into the hands of the exact person who wants or needs it.
TWITTER:
Twitter is a fast paced micro blog that generates over 175 million tweets A DAY! Twitter is great for sharing quick pieces of information and the best way to get your post seen is through HASHTAGS! If your business is data driven, use quotes, statistics or questions to attract viewers.
When marketing your business on Twitter, you need to have content that is enticing enough for people to stop and click through. Make sure when you’re constructing your tweets, you’re making people want to click through. You want to position yourself as a knowledgeable source, and a great way to attract attention is sharing quotes, graphs and statistics. While Twitter is a great way to share quick thoughts and generate traffic to your website and offers, it’s important to make sure you’re also building relationships with followers.
People follow you because they like what you have to say, but often also to engage in conversation. Like you would on Facebook, ask and respond to questions, respond to mentions and direct messages. Twitter is as useful for driving traffic as it is for customer service.
Tool to utilize: Hashtags
Hashtags (#) are you key tool on Twitter. These tags allow you to reach a wider audience than just your followers by getting involved in existing conversations.
LINKEDIN:
LinkedIn is designed specifically for business and professionals. That’s it! It is arguably the most important business to business platform because it showcases users experience and professional thoughts. It allows you to prospect, establish thought leadership and create groups of likeminded individuals. Between features like LinkedIn Pulse, Company Pages, InMail, Groups, and “Get Introduced” and the ability to see who’s viewed your personal profile, LinkedIn is a valuable tool for driving traffic and making connections.
Tool to utilize: Groups
There is a lot less conversation happening directly on LinkedIn pages then there is on other social media marketing profiles. One way around this is joining LinkedIn groups where you can meet people from the same industry or with similar interests, ask and answers questions, and engage in conversations. Pose a question to the group to get a conversation flowing. It’s a great way to showcase your expertise on your industry.
INSTAGRAM:
Instagram is a curated marketing tool that helps increase brand awareness. It’s a global platform that allows brands to humanize their content, recruit talent, showcase their products and inspire their audience. In 2019, it was projected that 76% of global marketers would re-strategize to focus on Instagram because it’s proven to build community. When using Instagram for your business, it’s important to switch your profile to a business so you can benefit from the analytics and promotions. For example, followers can click on your contact button to get in touch with you right from your Instagram page just like they would from your website.
Tool to utilize: Hashtags, Geotagging and Ads
A business profile allows you to create and publish Instagram ads without needing to use Facebook’s advertising tools. You can also access Instagram analytics tools, called Insights, that provide stats about the impressions and reach of your posts. Once you’ve unlocked the free perks that come along with a business profile, you need to start using them to track metrics and understand your audience. In addtion, you can use hashtags (in the first comment) to gain exposure among like-minded individuals. Even better? You can geo-tag your posts to target your demographic- all for free!