Social media is one of the most efficient and powerful marketing tools in our world today.  About one in three people use it.  To put that in perspective, Facebook alone has 2.4 billion users, and Instagram has over 1 billion users.

You don’t have to be a genius to set up a social media account for your business or service, but if you think it’s enough to log on and post a picture every once in a while, think again.  While social media platforms have become a popular way of advertising, people have become less tolerant and patient when it comes to low-quality content and have developed personal spam-filtration systems.

In order to get the best results from your social media platforms, there is more work to be done.  Don’t worry; it’s not as hard as you think. 

Here are some practical tips to get you started.

Who Am I?

First things first:  if you don’t know who you are, no one else will, either.  People want something they can grasp at a glance.  If who you are is not immediately obvious, you’re at risk of losing their engagement.

Look inward and ask yourself these questions:

• Who am I, and what do I stand for?
• What is the value I can freely share with my audience?
• How does the value that I create transform my audience’s lives?

Start by writing down your vision – one that states who you are, what your mission is, and what you have to give.  Then, narrow it down to a simple, easy-to-digest, bite-sized sentence.  Use this vision statement as your point of reference, and make sure your branding clearly represents your mission.

If you don’t know who you are, no one else will, either.

Once you’ve got that down, shift your attention to the ultimate focus – the value of what you have to give.

The worst things to do are sing your own praises or be an overbearing salesman people want to slam the virtual door on.  Think of practical ways to build two-sided relationships by giving as much as you can for free (who doesn’t like free stuff?).  You might give bonus tips pertaining to your expertise or a free teaching session.  Or consider an exciting giveaway or a small gift with each purchase.

Remember, if the focus is on you, you’re doing it wrong.

Who is My Audience?

What all famous and successful companies have in common is that they know who their audiences are and have mastered the fine skill of speaking to their deepest desires and needs.

Take Nike, for example, which motivates anyone with a knack for sports with three motivational words:  “Just do it.”  Or L’Oréal, an international beauty and cosmetics company, strategically boosting women’s confidence by ending every commercial with the iconic phrase “Because you’re worth it.”

So, let’s dig deep and ask:

• Who is my audience?
• What are they looking for?
• What problem am I solving for them?

Get close to your audience to figure this out.  Create a survey with a free giveaway at the end, email them direct and personal questions, do a live video, and interact with them.  Do your demographical research.  Take advantage of the analytics on your social media platforms, which offer information on what genders and age groups show the most interest and from where in the world they are logging in.

The next step is to figure out how to appeal to their need, then offer a solution.  Story branding is a powerful methodology that will help you clarify your message, establish your brand identity, learn effective marketing, and discover who your audience is and what they want.

We take most of our clients through the HeroGuide methodology to clarify their messaging and establish their brand identity.  These are the bases for developing an effective social media content strategy.

Planning and Scheduling – Out of Sight; Out of Mind

Now that you know who you are and who you aim to target, you need a work strategy to set you up for success. 

Create a posting schedule on a shareable Google sheet or an Excel sheet.  Think of all the categories that will effectively help you track each month and its days on your different platforms.  Include columns such as date, platform, description, links, hashtags, categories, and time of posting, or use color-coding to define your different posts.

This will also keep you one step ahead with planning for future events, holidays, or seasonal sales.

Remember, out of sight; out of mind.  The more you post, the more you become a familiar face.

It’s important to be consistent and frequent with your posts, so that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will up-rank your posts and they will appear higher on your audience’s feeds.  Remember, out of sight; out of mind.  The more you post, the more you become a familiar face on the block, and the more friends you will create.

Another benefit of building a schedule is that it gives you clear insight into the big picture, including what posts are successful or not, and where and how to invest.  Experiment with different posts, and see what works best for you.  By using this work spreadsheet, you’ll instantly see how to increase quality and traffic on your platforms.

Facebook’s algorithm likes to see a variety of different posts, such as images, videos, stories, and plain text, as well as different content, such as inspirational, conversational, or informative posts.  Also, by mixing it up, your audience will never be bored.

By using these strategies, you will see growth on all your platforms.  Take it step by step and see how, the more you follow these guidelines, the easier marketing will become.

Need help getting started on your social media platforms?

That’s what we’re here for.  Feel free to contact us, and we will help you get on the right track in no time.