Work in Social Media? Don’t Ignore These 10 Things

It’s easy to get caught up in viral videos or whatever the latest fad is in the social media realm. However, focusing on your company’s social media strategy should be a priority. After all, you have a huge potential audience to communicate with. According to Pew Research, there are over 1 billion people on Facebook, 70 percent of whom check their feed daily.

While working in social media, don’t forget these tips to make the most out of your online marketing:

1. Target Your Audience

Before you do anything, do a quick demographic study of your target audience. Are they young? Old? College graduates? Answers to these questions will affect what social media platforms you can use to present your information.

Generally, a young audience will appreciate a fun, viral video, whereas an older audience will respect valuable and organized statistics. Educated professionals, for instance, are more likely to prefer LinkedIn, while younger Americans, according to the Pew Research Center, are more likely to be on Twitter.

In fact, almost 36 percent of online adults ages 18-29 are on Twitter. That’s more than three times the amount of adults 65 and older (just 10 percent).

2. Short and Sweet Can’t Be Beat

Try to keep your message under 50 words for Facebook posts. Large blocks of text aren’t appealing to the social media savvy. They’ll likely scroll right past it. Make sure you edit your main ideas into a clear and concise post. Twitter encourages this by only allowing 140 characters. However, make sure your tweet is still a coherent and full phrase or sentence if possible. Avoid linking to content without a description. People won’t click on a link if they don’t know what it is about. 

3. A Picture Is Really Worth a Thousand Words

Images most certainly grab the customer’s attention, but not just any picture. Think about what makes a picture worthy of attention.

What photographs on Instagram have you liked or have caught your attention? Evaluate why.

Did they contain a simple composition? A straightforward message? Continue to think of your company’s brand. Your photographs need to be an extension of your vision and values. Scroll through your Instagram feed. Does it look like your company or someone else?

4. Say It in Threes

Follow this general rule for communication: an important message needs to be said three different times by three different avenues. And that’s the minimum.

For example, if you were advertising an event, make sure to advertise it three different times (even more is better) and use multiple platforms creatively.

Instagram could show pictures promoting the event. You could use YouTube to show a short video. Have those interested in attending join your Facebook event page specific to the event.

5. Be Efficient

Save yourself some time and use programs like Hootsuite or the iPhone interface to post to multiple social media outlets at once. Some programs like Hootsuite allow you to make minor changes to the text and cater it toward the specific social media platform. Also take advantage of the scheduled post tools. You can work ahead and schedule dozens of posts to go out at specific times a day.

Add to your efficiency by setting social media training and policies for your organization. Outline your corporate preferences to prevent the posting of inappropriate content.

6. Come Up With Your Own Personal Content

In crunch time, it might be easier to use stock photos, but your own original content speaks more about you. Take personal photographs of your product or retail store to communicate your brand. Original content is personal and gives your customers a sense of who you are.

For example, a coffee shop could help make customers feel more connected to their business. On Instagram, they could introduce its staff members once a week with funny pictures of each employee along with a witty get-to-know-you message. It’s unique and creative ways like these that can assign a familiar face to an ordinary coffee shop.

7. Borrow Others Content (With Permission)

Come up with your own original content, but don’t stop there. Build relationships with leaders in your field and invite them to guest blog or talk on a live chat. Think about the people who are shaping the culture in your respective industry. How could they help interact with your company and strengthen your social media presence?

8. Social Media Presence Should Be Present

This is a simple tip but routinely forgotten. Are the links to your social media pages buried on the home page? Make it clear and easy for your clients to access your social media accounts. Make sure the links are up-to-date and not broken.

9. Make Connections

Any time you can link to someone else’s information, it creates opportunities for your audience to view your marketing. Hashtags are your friend! Use them to connect to new consumers. Be sure to research keywords and use them to your advantage. People are now using social media platforms like Pinterest to search the web.

10. The Non-Website Website

Of course, list your website on your social media’s about page and refer to it in your posts, but make sure to think about those who will never visit your website. Many people are now only interacting with companies on their social media platforms.

With this in mind, keep your brand clear. For example, look at your pictures on Instagram. What do they say about your company? Are they consistent with your values? People should get a feel for your company by their interaction with it on social media. Your website and social media platforms should work together and be consistent, not jarring puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit together.

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