How often can a business reinvent itself to remain current, to remain seen by an ever changing audience?
Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Youtube, LinkedIn… the list goes on. For most these social media streams are an everyday noun, for some they are a minefield of SEO, hashtags, re-tweets, likes & hearts. But what do these platforms do for the business owner & are we able to juggle the needs social media puts upon us? Has social media lost it’s ‘social’ side, as more & more businesses take to multiple platforms to try & catch our attention? How often can a business reinvent itself to remain current, to remain seen by an ever changing audience?
Stop!
Take a breath!
Social media can for some be a daunting place, but there are some simple steps which businesses can take to remove some of the anxiety from social media posting & marketing. Virtually Smart Ltd have recently undertaken a review of the social media needs of our company & taken time out to write a more flexible & varied social media stream strategy. This will be rolled out over the next month, with a clear focus on creating balance in our social media campaigns & strategies.
Mixing up your social media is key to keeping audiences interested & customers/clients up to date with business offers & services. With this in mind, Virtually Smart Ltd have created a check list for business owners, those in self-employment & entrepreneurs, to ensure their social media strikes the right balance.
Do you know who your perfect client/customer avatar is?
Do you know what your ideal client/customer avatar is? Do you know the type of client/customer you wish to collaborate with? Having this set, will enable you to target your social media posts to specific audiences. When you have identified your client avatar, consider where these people might ‘hang out’ professionally & socially. Do some research & use your analytics to see where your stream likes are coming from, the time of day & the types of people engaging in your social media content. For example, you may find that specifically targeted business leads are more than likely to be in LinkedIn, Twitter & Google+ during the day time, but ‘hang out’ in Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram of an evening. Once you have identified your client avatar, where they ‘hang out’ professionally & socially, then you can start to create your social media content appropriately.
How can you ensure your content is varied & appropriate?
Once you have identified your preferred client/customer avatar, you now need to tailor your social media presence to suit. Do your homework! Ensure that the content you are planning as you go forward, will be engaging, informative & entertaining. Virtually Smart Ltd attended a seminar recently whereby the speaker focused on how you use the social media streams & what content you post.
For example, the seminar explored how the speaker used Instagram for recruitment, Twitter for social, LinkedIn for business building & rarely used Facebook for business, as he already knew his client/customer avatars would not be there. Another very key point made, was to not forget to be ‘social’, don’t distance yourself from your potential followers, clients & customers by being completely business focused.
With this in mind, consider how you can mix up your social media posts. Below is a list which we have complied for a motorcycle business we support. This list is not exhaustive, but it might give some insights in to just how varied your social media needs to be, if you want to remain visible & increase your following.
1. Create polls and questions to start discussion
2. Once a week have a ‘what am I?’ challenge. Take photo of something from an obscure angle in an engine, on a motorcycle & get followers to guess where it is from
3. Canva famous biker related quotes
4. Motorcycle hints & tips
5. Motorcycle manufacturers information & reviews.
Furthermore, ensure you are not just posting your own information. Creating a balance of other business related articles, summaries & other business owners posts, shows you are engaging with other business platforms.
Which social media platforms are right for you & your business?
Dependant on your business sector & customer/client base, different social media streams will most likely work better for you.
For example, if you are targeting business & corporate connections, you will probably need to harness LinkedIn. LinkedIn is becoming more & more favoured with businesses seeking to make those links & connections to other like minded networks. Whereas, Facebook, is still very much more of a social setting. In addition, with the new Facebook algorithms playing havoc with business posts & a high demand for ‘boosting’ posts, some businesses are seeking alternatives to ensure consistency.
Instagram is a great place to build a brand, but you will need to be posting 2 – 3 times a day to really generate the right buzz. Don’t just reply on your hashtags to engage with other users. Create a post, add a link to your website, channel your traffic to where you ultimately want those leads to find you.
How can a social media scheduler help?
Multiple social media platform postings take up a huge amount of time & energy. Social media specialists are heavily reliant on media schedulers to ensure their clients/customers presence is maintained, remains consistent & is timed appropriately.
Finding the right scheduler can be a bit of a task, but once you have settled on your product you will reap the benefits. As with all things, budget carefully & ensure the scheduler will give you the very best value for money, for Your business platform.
Here are a few examples of current social media schedulers:
Buffer
“Buffer is a wonderful time-saver when it comes to managing your social media accounts. It lets you publish and schedule upcoming posts on multiple social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest – and provide in-depth analytics on your social campaigns. Buffer allows you to do exactly the same thing with Instagram.” bloggingwizard.com
Hootsuite
“Hootsuite* is similar to Buffer in that it allows you to publish directly to Instagram. But, this popular social media tool goes far beyond simply scheduling your posts. Hootsuite can also help you monitor your competition easily, right on your dashboard.” bloggingwizard.com
Sendible
“Sendible* is a complete social media management tool so it goes far beyond simply allowing you to schedule & publish content directly to Instagram (and other social networks). You can use Sendible to schedule updates, reply to your followers via a social media inbox, create analytics reports, or collaborate with your team.” bloggingwizard.com
As with everything, do your research & find the scheduler you feel is right for your business & your business needs.
So, what does this mean for you? Are you happy with your social media presence? When was the last time you sat down & assessed what you are posting in your social media streams? Where & what time? Have you noticed a distinct loss of interest in certain areas of your social media campaigns? Do you have a campaign or a strategy?
Be assured that these are questions which are asked repeatedly by marketeers & that taking the time to re-evaluate your social media needs is a very powerful action to undertake. Therefore, Virtually Smart Ltd have prepared the following check list, to see if you are engaging effectively with your social media platforms. Ask yourself these questions & see where you land!
- Have you identified where your client avatar ‘hangs out’?
- Do you post the same content to all of your social media platforms?
- Do you have one person in your business who is responsible for all social media platforms? Do they maintain the company vision?
- Does your social media content explore the ethical side of your business? Do you have an ethics policy?
- When was the last time you sat down & explored how you can change the way your social media stream content is used?
- Are you taking full advantage of how Instagram can help build your brand?
Social media can be a fully effective way of getting your brand out there, but never become complacent to the needs of the consumer, nor to the idea of your audience needing to change. Be open, be clear, be focused on Your message & embrace the need for change whenever it presents itself.
“What is interesting is the power and the impact of social media… So we must try to use social media in a good way. “
Malala Yousafzai
