Deciding How to Use Each Social Media Platform
For businesses, social media is a big part of connecting with customers—especially during this time. A common mistake business owners make, however, is wanting to be on every single social media platform. Just because you could create a page for your business on every platform doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Another common mistake is using the hard sell approach. I discuss that a bit in a previous blog, but long story short, you’ll likely get more engagement from your followers with a softer touch.
Before you choose which social media platform(s) to use, think about the type of content you’d like to share and, more importantly, what kind of content your customers would find most engaging. Let’s take a look at the most popular platforms and how to use them.
Areas I’ll Be Covering Include:
- The tone to use on each social media platform
- Tips on how to best use each platform
- What to think about before joining each platform
P.S. I am by no means saying the following is the end-all, be-all of how one should use these platforms. This is simply intended to be a guide.
When it comes to social media platforms for businesses, Facebook is an oldie, but a goodie. Part of that reason is the amount of customization that can be done to a Facebook business page. Tell your story in the “About” section, add photos, post updates, schedule events, and share offers. You can even add inventory to your “Shop” page, so your followers can make a purchase directly from your Facebook page.
Keep it Friendly and Informative
Your tone on Facebook should be professional, but friendly. Posts can be a little longer if they’re interesting and informative. Generally speaking, posts with images, GIFs, or videos tend to do better than those without.
Respond in a Timely Manner
Make it a point to respond quickly and kindly to Facebook messages. The same goes for reviews. It’s more widely known that it’s a good idea to respond to negative reviews to rectify a problem, acknowledge a mistake, or (professionally) negate a claim. Remember to put that same energy into responding to the kind people who stopped by to post a positive review.
Don’t Be Afraid to Go Live
Show some behind-the-scenes action, generate excitement about an event or sale, and engage with your audience in real-time with Facebook Live. Your followers are notified when you go live and you can remind them to share the feed to encourage more potential customers to watch. These can be a little scary at first, so hype them up ahead of time to let followers know you’re planning to be live at a certain time. If you’re not great on the fly, try a Q & A approach where users ask questions for you to answer in the comments. It’s a nice way to start conversations with your customers.
I shouldn’t play favorites, but I do. Instagram is my personal favorite social media platform. There. I said it. If you have a business that lends itself well to photos and videos, it should probably be your favorite, too. Make sure the images and videos are of high quality and are not stock (no one wants to look at stock images or videos on the ‘gram). If you’re reposting, remember to always tag the original poster to acknowledge their work.
Tell Your Story
Fifteen seconds at a time, Instagram stories allow businesses to build real relationships with their followers. These are great for featuring behind-the-scenes videos, showing off your latest products, and introducing the faces behind your business. Followers want to know about your company culture.
Your Bio Matters
Instagram is the platform where you can really stretch your creative muscles. This starts with your bio. You’ll want to grab people’s attention, so feel free to show your personality and don’t be afraid to use an emoji or two. 🦕🤓
Follow Local Influencers
Des Moines may be small, but the pool of local influencers is not. Our city is incredibly supportive, so my biggest piece of advice to local business owners is to reach out to members of the community, both in-person and online. Follow and engage with those in your industry and those who aren’t. Some of the best connections I’ve made have been thanks to Instagram. I’ve hired local artists and photographers after being impressed by their work on Instagram and turned into a loyal customer to several local businesses thanks to thoughtful conversations I’ve had on Instagram with Des Moines business owners.
A Twitter account for a business can be tricky. People can spot a scheduled post from a mile away because Twitter is made for real-time posting, retweeting, replying, liking, and otherwise engaging with the audience. If you’re ready for that commitment, Twitter could work for your business.
Make a Statement
There are currently 330 active monthly Twitter users in the world and of those, 48 million are in the United States. There are 152 million active daily Twitter users and of those, 31 million come from the U.S. This means your potential to reach an audience is great, but it also means you have your work cut out for you. When a business has a Twitter account, but lacks a clear voice and direction, it stands out like a sore thumb. So be prepared to make a statement with your Tweets and have an honest point of view.
Join the Conversation
As noted earlier, Twitter is made for the back-and-forth. It’s about the conversation, the replies, the retweets, etc. Dive into conversations centered around your industry and expertise. You can find these conversations more easily thanks to hashtags. Speaking of which…
Hashtag Awareness
One of the most frustrating things I’ve seen people do on social media is use a random hashtag that no one is really following. The hashtag is a tool to get more eyes on your tweets (the same goes for Instagram posts) and works well if you use it well. If you’re using a hashtag only a handful of users are searching or making one up and no one is following it, you’re wasting your time. Before you use a hashtag, do some research. Take a look at the hashtags related to what you’re tweeting about and proceed from there.
This platform is where the more professional voice is appreciated. Your small business may not need a constantly updated LinkedIn page, but you probably should have a page just to have the presence.
Don’t Try the Hard Sell
You’re probably sensing a theme here. I have never met a person who enjoys a hard sell. Never. Ever. I’ve followed so many local business owners on LinkedIn in the past only to unfollow them immediately after being pitched five seconds after connecting. No thanks. This is a quick one: if you don’t know the person and don’t already have an established sales discussion going, do not slide into their LinkedIn DMs to try to close a deal.
Digital Networking
There’s an art to networking and LinkedIn is the digital version. This professional network is ripe for business development and connections. If you aren’t comfortable with networking in person (I feel you), you may feel more comfortable here. Post thought-provoking questions, share feelings about running your business, talk about news in your industry. Remember to leave comments on posts of people you’re connected to and start conversations with other commenters. Business owner, engage!
Pay Attention to Insights
If you take nothing else from this incredibly informative, should-be-award-winning, wonderful blog (I said what I said), take this: pay attention to insights and analytics. Each of the above social media platforms has insights/analytics available to let you know who your audience is, what interests them, and more. Don’t sleep on this information! It can help inform what kind of content your audience is most likely to find interesting, which comes in handy when planning what to post.
Digital Marketing with Green Ivy Creative
Your digital marketing strategy and execution takes time. If you’re ready for a professional to take that off your plate and work with you to create fresh, engaging content for your business, we’re here to help. Contact us today to get the conversation rolling.