Are you trying to grow your business, and you’ve come to the conclusion that a strong social media presence is the way to do it. But where do you begin?
Taking the first step into social media can be overwhelming. But allow me to tell you that, there are so many sites and platforms, so many users, so much content waiting to be discovered, where do you start? What are your overall goals for marketing your business? It’s a lot to process.
I am sure this guide will be helpful. What follows is a quick step-by-step walkthrough to social media marketing for beginners.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Start Small, And Be Selective:
There are many social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest – the list goes on. If you’re ambitious, you’re probably eager to get your business up and running on most of them.
But the reality is – you can’t (and shouldn’t) attempt to build your social presence on each of these platforms overnight. You have to start small (think crawl, then walk before you run).
Be selective first. Pick one or two sites to start with – the sites that best suit your business. Then, once you have enough time and money to commit, start increasing your efforts and social footprint.
2. Have A Target Audience:
As you are developing your social strategy, selecting sites and content strategy, etc., you will probably be guided by one important question: Who is your audience?
It will affect everything. Take your site options, for example. If you’re trying to cater to Millennials, you may want to place more emphasis on YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat than other networks. If you’re targeting moms, Pinterest works great. Facebook is pervasive, attracting everyone.
Which Social Site Is Best For You? It depends on what your business is trying to achieve. Research your intended audience before you make any final decisions about where to focus your social efforts.
3. Start With Your Basic Purposes For Using Social Media
Before you can really start taking advantage of social media, you need to ask yourself some important questions about why you’re doing it.
What are you hoping to achieve? Are you hoping to increase sales, or improve customer service? Or alternatively, do you want to create a little more visibility for your brand?
4. Come Up With A Memorable Name
What’s in a name? Ideally, it is catchy and memorable. When it comes to your social presence, you’ll want to create a handle that people can recognize across all of your social brands.
It can be just your company name, or it can be something more elaborate, just to emphasize a certain aspect of your brand.
Example; BBC uses the username @BBCNews for its wildly popular Twitter account, which reminds people of their abundance of breaking news.
5. Be Authentic And Personable
What type of name works best for your business?
Once you’ve decided on your name, do some research to make sure it’s available on a variety of social platforms.
Socializing with people on Twitter is no different than doing it at a party or social function. In both cases, you make friends by being yourself and being authentic and good.
Keep this in mind when posting online. People don’t want to be in sync with a brand whose social presence seems harsh and corporate — or worse, obnoxious. Show a human side, interact with people and develop a personality. People will appreciate it, and they will keep following you.
6. Develop A Content To Look Cute Or Funny
A cute or funny post may grab an audience’s attention for a minute or two, but what really brings them back is the engaging content.
You want your social presence to be associated with sites and articles that people find interesting, or that will add value to their lives. If you can do this, you can secure the loyalty of consumers.
So develop a special area for your content. What type of content will you post? When and where will you post them? Make a plan and stick to it for a while, but if you think it’s not working, don’t be afraid to adopt it.
7. Link Your Social Media Audience To Others
Once your business has a strong social media presence up and running, you want to engage people over and over again. You don’t want to force it too much, lest people feel like they’re being spammed, but still – it’s important to reinforce your brand.
The great thing about having multiple social accounts is that they can all be linked with each other.
Enter a blog post and link it to your Twitter page. Post a photo on Instagram and invite people to learn more on Facebook. A social presence can connect to many other people.
Thanks for reading I will like to stop here for now “a word is enough for the wise” for more steps and guides you can always come back for more!
