There’s no doubt that most of us want to improve our social media presence no matter where we’re at in our usage. And if you’re coming off the excitement at MAIC, then you already know how essential it is to be engaging online. Whether you’re just starting out getting your business up and running in the social media world or you’re an expert user looking to take things up a notch, there’s always more to learn. For anyone running a small business – or even a large one, for that matter – having a presence on social media really has become essential. Depending on the type of business you have, your presence on certain social media platforms may be more important than others. For example, some business owners might see more of a return from focusing on LinkedIn, while others might have more luck building a business community on Facebook – it all depends on you. Regardless of where you intend to grow your presence, there are some pretty basic principles to follow across the board. Here’s a few tips for improving your social media presence.
5 Tips for Improving Your Social Media Presence
Set some goals. Anything is better when you know what you’re trying to achieve, right? The same goes for social media. You may be trying to grow your presence in sheer numbers or engagement and interaction with your clients and customers might be more important to you. Whatever it is, know what you’re after so that you can set your strategy according to those goals.
Create an editorial calendar so that you’re not always working off the cuff. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to continually develop and create content for social media channels – so plan ahead. Learn how to schedule posts ahead of time so that you’re not required to be on standby every day – you can set this up to work for you – It just takes some planning.
Engage, engage, engage! Social media is not just about self-promotion, it’s about building an online community. The people in your community will be part clients and customers, the general public and other like business owners and industry professionals. By working together to promote one another and engage in discussions, you’ll organically build a larger following and more active social community.
Let the world see who you are. When you’re posting to social media for a business, it can often seem like there’s a robot behind the scenes. Letting your followers know that there is a human behind the posts gives them a reason and opportunity to connect with you. Social media is intended to be social – and that means human to human contact – so don’t try to hide it!
Give your clients and customers an opportunity to find you on social media. Just because you’re there doesn’t mean people will automatically know how to find you – you have to help them. Add the social media icons to your website, linking directly to your profiles. Work on some timely email campaigns that will give you the opportunity to share the big news and let your clients know you’re on certain social channels. Spell it out for them….”Follow us on Facebook,” for example.
If you’re ready to start making an impression online, try these out and let me know how they work for you! And if you’re ready to improve your Instagram following, please check out the article I wrote for the Huffington Post on 10 Tools for Instagram You Need Now!
