Congratulations, you’ve just posted on social media… now what?
We are currently living in the age of social media where nothing goes unseen. All around us we have the “new-age” of celebrities who have managed to become famous via the Internet, with nothing but the help of a little social media marketing. YouTube vloggers, beauty bloggers, gamers, singers and so many more people have used social media to push their content. What are they doing? Marketing themselves. Does it work? Yes.
So in theory this should be no different for you, to use social media as a tool to present your company online. The first thing you need to ask yourself is “Do I have the time to post on social media?” and if the answer is no, then you should try and make the time. If you’re not actively online in 2016, then you’re not really anywhere.
Interaction is one of the key principles when it comes to social media marketing. You have to seek your engagement instead of waiting for the likes and comments to come to you, exactly the same as you would for offline marketing. Imagine printing a flyer – great, you’ve printed a flyer advertising all of the amazing aspects of your company but now they’re just sitting on your desk because you haven’t gone out and given them to anybody. It’s really the exact same principal for social media marketing.
With platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest (we could go on for a while!) the possibilities of reaching your target audiences are endless.
Below we have highlighted 10 simple ways to engage with your followers and spread your online presence. These tips are easy to follow and don’t take up much of your time at all.
#wearereactive
Hashtag, hashtag, hashtag! A sure-fire way to be seen is to make sure you hashtag everything you post. If you don’t already have followers, this is a great way for people to find you. When a consumer clicks on a hashtag, they are then shown posts from all others who have also used the same words. You can also have your own personalised one that you should include on all of your posts. Other people can also use your hashtag to share any posts that might include you or your products and it’s a great way to keep relevant posts in the same place.
Be Personal
When you post online on behalf of a company, people still want to see your personality. Your viewers want to know that these messages are coming from a real person, not a computer. Putting up a picture of cakes and saying “Reactive Graphics New Years cakes” is not going to get you very far. Try something a bit more personal, along the lines of; “We’re really enjoying our cakes to see in the new year!”
Customer Service
Customer Service is key – we are now in the generation of social media. Why phone a company when you can send them a direct message on Facebook to ask a question? If people know you are actively online, it can be quicker for them to fire you a message as opposed to emailing you or phoning. Make sure you are always logged into social media so you can reply as soon as you get messages.
Freebies
We all love freebies; it’s in our nature. A great way to spread your online presence is to host giveaways and competitions. The easiest way to do this is to ask your current followers to “share this photo/post for a chance to win [product] [promo code] [free consultation]” or simply “Tag a friend who would like this and you could both win”. It’s like a snowball effect – the more shares and tags, the further your post will reach and the more people will find you. It also gives you an opportunity to welcome any new followers.
Reposting and Mentions
As a social media user, having a company you avidly follow repost or mention you really makes you feel like you’re connected.
Posts such as “Wow, @reactivegraphics have created this amazing design using our template” or “Check out this great blog post on social media by the company who created our website!” These are the kind of engagements that keep your viewers interested in what you are posting.
Make sure to always credit anything you repost – not only does this show your followers that you are honest, but it also interacts with whoever you have reposted from and can bring across their followers too.
The Rule Of 7’s
The rule of 7 – try to separate your posts over time and don’t clog up your feed with “buy our product” or “visit our website” over and over again – you want your viewers to feel engaged, not bored of the same repeated posts.
A great rule to stick to is, for every 7 things you post on a social media channel such as Twitter and Facebook, only one really needs to be directly about your products or services. The rest should be somewhat relevant, but can be reposts or shares from other pages.
Video
Another great way to interact with your followers is by posting videos. If you have a long video on YouTube or Vimeo, then doing a cut-down 15-second version to put on Instagram is a great way to draw people in.
Guest Posters
You can do this type of activity on a quiet day in the office. “A day in the life of” a staff member really helps your followers interact with you more and allows them to see your workflow. Alternatively, a short “Ask Me Anything” with a staff member or a client works really well.
Inspirational Quotes
If you’re having one of those quiet days where you just can’t seem to find anything to post about, don’t worry! Occasionally you can find an inspirational quote, put it on a nice background and voila, not only have your got one of your “1 in 7” posts mentioned above, you’ve also found something to start a conversation with your followers. Be careful not to overdo the inspiration though, because this can make you come across as lazy.
The Happy Debate
Red or Blue? WordPress or Blogger? iPhone or Android? Start a conversation – These types of interactions can really spark a debate, which is especially useful if they link to what you are advertising. Use tools such as polls to really interact.
Contact Us
One of the key factors of social media advertising is to make sure everything links with each other. Create a call to action on your social media pages so your followers can easily access your website. Likewise, your website should always link to your social media channels.
You can have links in your header, your footer and you can even have a live feed. Having a great website design that can easily integrate social media is always beneficial. Here at Reactive, we ensure that your social media icons take pride of place on your website.
If you would like any information regarding the work we produce, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch (via email, phone, or the social media links below!)
If you have any more helpful tips for our readers feel free to post them in the comments.
