Apr 22, 2019
This is a guest post by David Hulegaard, our Relationship Manager and Marketing Guru.
It sure seems like everyone is on social media these days, doesn't it? In fact, as of April, 2019, an average of 1.52 billion people worldwide log onto Facebook daily. Another 100 million use Instagram each month! With numbers like these, it's no wonder that social media has become one of the most popular methods for businesses to reach potential customers. Yet somehow, despite instant access to this rich pipeline of active users, it can still feel like no one is paying attention to your posts. Sound familiar?
Don't panic! With just a few simple adjustments to your marketing strategy, you can give your social media presence a welcomed boost and grow your customer engagement. Here are five quick tips to get you started:
- Quality Content.
Between friends, family, brand pages, and paid advertisements, there are many sources all competing for your customer's attention. Your content needs to be compelling in order to cut through the noise and stand out. Your newest listing won't get any attention when it's sandwiched between tropical vacation photos and Game of Thrones memes. Remember, people use social media as a form of entertainment, so if you want to reach them, your content must be entertaining as well as informative. Sometimes the best form of marketing isn't selling a product at all.
- Know Your Audience
Creating quality content is a great start, but in order to do that, you need to understand exactly who your audience is and what makes them responsive. Knowing your audience will ensure that your content is never tone deaf. How old are they? What are their interests? Where do they live? What days and times are they most active on social media? Luckily, this information is easily obtained through the insights and analytics available with most major social media platforms.
- Consistency
Most marketing strategies suggest posting something on social media every day. But that frequency may not work for everyone. It's most effect to post only when you have something worthwhile to say. However, regardless of how often you post, you'll need to be consistent. If you only want to post a few times per week, pick your optimal posting days and stick to them each week. Doing so will condition your audience when to expect updates from you.
- Brevity
Attention spans are dwindling! A recent report states that the average user spends about 41 minutes per day on Facebook and due to the sheer volume of content awaiting them, they're mostly skimming their News Feed. Posts with lengthy amounts of text are easily scrolled past and ignored because they can't be quickly processed. It's crucial to treat your post copy like a news headline. Let the content itself tell the story and use the text as an enticing caption to lead the customer's eyeballs to your image or embedded web link.
- Brand Voice
When writing copy for your posts, it's helpful to imagine the words as though coming from the mouth of a single character specific to your brand. That way, the messaging and tone will always be consistent no matter who writes the post. Consider what the ideal tone should be when speaking to your customers. Is your brand fun and snarky like Flo from Progressive Insurance? Is your brand more serious and informative like Dennis Haysbert in the Allstate Insurance commercials? Or maybe your brand is relaxed and cool like Chester Cheetah. If you're not sure yet, it's totally okay to tinker a bit as you fine-tune your voice to find the perfect fit.
Social media marketing can be daunting, but don't feel as though these tips need to be accomplished all at once. Building a successful platform isn't a one-size-fits-all template. It takes time, patience, and experimentation. But above all else, remember to have fun!