If you want to be successful with social media, there are certain things that can help.
Check out these ten:
1: Be Consistent on Your Own Pages and Profiles and Groups
Posting one month on one month off is not going to cut it. While it’s true that only a small % of people see your page’s organic posts, you still want to have content on your page. If you use your profile more, you need to be consistent there as well. If you run a group, same thing.
Bottom Line: Show up regularly
2: Join the Right Groups
If you want to make connections with potential customers, clients, or strategic partners, you’ve got to be in the right places. There is no shortage of groups on Facebook or LinkedIn. Find and join groups that have significant activity.
Bottom Line: Be active in the right groups
3: Follow the Right People
Don’t just look for customers and clients. Look for those with whom you can create a mutually beneficial relationship. Get engaged on their posts to get their attention, then reach out to schedule a call and see how you can help each other.
Bottom line: Create strategic relationships
4: Add Value
Don’t just self-promote. Some groups don’t allow for promotion at all. Make sure to comment on other people’s posts as well as find questions that you can answer in your area of expertise. In Facebook, you can use the search field to find posts with certain keywords.
Bottom line: Be helpful
5: Use Conversation Starters
There’s no shortage of questions that can provoke engagement. You can use these in groups, on your page, or your profile, and across any social media site. You want your brand to stay in front of others. By regularly posting conversation starters, you stay top of mind, in a subtle way.
Bottom Line: Use funny or thought-provoking questions
6: Use Multiple Forms of Media
It’s no surprise that video is the most consumed form of media now. Get with the program and start adding video to your social media mix. You can create and upload videos as short as 6 seconds with short animations, screencasts that teach, slideshows, Facebook Lives, and more. Images get more attention than text and video gets more attention than both.
Bottom Line: Add videos to your posts
7: Humanize Your Brand
You’ve heard people do business with people, not companies, right? If your brand was a person, what would their personality be? Don’t be afraid to step out and showcase your business in a different light. Let your brand connect with your ideal client as if they were speaking person to person.
Bottom Line: Give your brand a personality
8: Stay on Top of Communication
Respond to messages in a timely fashion. If you don’t have email notifications set up, make sure to check at least once a day, more if you can, and respond to messages. The same goes for comments. If you don’t have an assistant to help with communication, consider social media software that helps you see comments easily.
Bottom Line: Reply to comments and messages in a timely fashion
9: Be Careful of Polarizing posts
Don’t talk about politics or religion in groups or pages unless that is your business. On your personal profile, know that people will check that if you are posting in a group or someone else’s page as your profile. If you don’t want to alienate others, be mindful of your comments and don’t engage in arguments.
Bottom Line: Be respectful
10: Be Authentic
People can spot a fake a mile away. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Share what you know. Share what you’ve tested and learned. Or say “I’ve heard x but haven’t put it to use myself. Ultimately, what you say and do on social media is going to affect your reputation. It can either be positive or negative. It’s difficult to recover from multiple bad reviews.
Bottom Line: Protect your reputation
There you have it. The 10 Commandments of Social Media That Work. If you need help with your social media, schedule a free strategy session with us today.
