Let’s make a Facebook page and get a 100,000 likes. We’ll rock it on Social Media!

That’s not things work do they? You’ve paid for the likes, got the followers while the numbers look great nothing’s happening – the Social Media magic is not working for you – now you don’t believe in Social Media anymore. Ever considered if probably you didn’t do it right?

If your business new to Social Media, THIS is for you!

For many, venturing into the world of Social Media is like being told to visit the relative you hate. You don’t want to, and you put it off for as long as possible. But in the end you have to go, so you do. But let us remind you – both of them will still ask you the question : When are you getting married? 

Whilst we can’t help you with things on that front – we can help you with one thing – getting social media right!

Let’s get things started shall we?

What is Social Media?

At its core, Social Media is a communication platform that allows you to connect with your target audience, turning the researcher into the buyer, or the one-time shopper into the loyal customer.

Social Media today is easily accessible and in constant use, thanks to its association with the millennials glued to their phones.

Getting Social Media right is a long and consistent process – here’s how you can start

#1 : Looking Back CAN Be A Good Thing.

If your business has been using Social Media for a while, that’s great! Taking a look at what’s been written before is a really useful way of making sure you’re not posting something completely off tangent to what you’re trying to achieve. It’s important for your brand to specify your Social Media brand DNA and understand how you want to position yourself in the Social Media scheme of things.

Now would also be a good time to block your Social Media handles – Facebook page urls, Twitter handles and your Instagram account.

#2 : Know Who You’re Targeting

Not knowing who you’re targeting when sending out a post is like playing archery blindfolded. You’ll never know where you’re aiming and how far your arrow will reach.

Having a specific demographic can be easily defined by who reads your posts, buys your products and searches for items or services you provide. Social Media allows you to target users based on their demographics, location, interest, online activity, pages they interact with and more.

This is a great start to writing a meaningful post that will resonate with your audience, making them buy into your company again.

BONUS TIP : Remember to make sure that your content is NOT all about your products – sell sell sell never works on Social Media. Tell a story and find a way to integrate your product into it.

#3. Plan, Plan, Plan.

Remember when your teacher at school always said that creating a plan will make writing the essay easier? It’s the same for creating Social Media content.

Planning in advance will take the stress away! And thankfully, because it’s only a plan for now, it can easily be changed! Got a big event coming up? Plan your posts around it and schedule it in! Enticing new customers with a discount? Create a story and run a contest – give away discount codes!

#4 : Let Data Work For You

Another good reason to look back on previous posts is to determine when the best time to upload is. It’s easy to analyse which posts have done well and which ones haven’t based on the number of likes and shares it’s received.

What time of day do you get the most engagement?

Take a look at Facebook Insights – their free Facebook Analytics Tool.  It provides you with a helpful breakdown of Page Views, Reach, Post Engagements and your 5 most recent posts – including how many people they’ve reached (both organically and through paid boosting).

You can check out your page’s insights by clicking on ‘Insights’ on the top tab on your Facebook page, here are some of the information that you can get

As you can see – insights let you know what age group your audience is, what time they are the most active and what languages they speak – it’s suggested to post when you see a spike on the user activity (for example here the best time to post it 11am – 9pm.)

Other platforms like Twitter and Instagram have similar analytics that you can explore as well.

#SaidNoOneInTheUAEEver Analyzed With Data

#5 : Not all Social Media Channels will Suit You.

Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest…do you really need to have an account for each one? Unfortunately, this is not a one size fits all approach – wouldn’t it be easier if it was? But who said Social Media Marketing was easy?

So, how do you know which social platform will work best for your business? Well a good starting point is knowing where your audience lies. Find out where your customers are and then join the party. Different platforms serve different purposes so choose wisely and stick to it!

#6 : Waffles are to be Eaten, Not Read.

How many times have you seen a post on Facebook and just scrolled on, because it’ll take ages to read? If the answer is always, then you’re not alone.

On average, a person spends 45 minutes of each day aimlessly scrolling through Facebook. And although that doesn’t like a short amount of time to be on the platform, they only read the bits that catch their eye. So, if it’s short, sweet and to the point, you can’t go wrong. Remember to have strong visuals! They always work!

Social Proof : Delivering on the Potential of Influencer Marketing

#7 : #OnlyWhenNecessary

In today’s society, there’s no escaping the hashtag. They’re everywhere, from TV adverts to billboards. But are they professional enough to use in your posts? And is there a limit to the amount you should use?

In short – yes. If used correctly, hashtags have the capability to open up doors to a plethora of different people, who may be looking for your company’s help. Although, being generic with your hashtags may hinder your post being seen. Use a hashtag that’s specific for that post, and it’ll go in the right direction.

Before you ask, yes, using more hashtags that actual content can keep the likes and shares coming in, but overloading on every post is likely to attract the wrong kind of ‘followers’.

Hashtags are like hair gel. Use sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

#8 : Focus on the creative

What’s more interesting to you, an image or a chunk of text? We’d go with the image too.

It’s important to keep your customer in mind when creating your posts. If you scroll passed the chunks of text littering your newsfeed and only focus on the ones with colourful images, so would they. Uploading an image or gif with your text will instantly make it more interesting.

#9 : Consistent Delivery

Being bombarded with so many posts in a short amount of time is similar to walking down the road with copious amounts of strong wind and sand blowing in your face. You just want it to stop.

How To Leverage Instagram For Your Business

Spacing your posts out over a few days will not only keep your followers intrigued and eager to read more, but will make sure you don’t run dry too soon! Being consistent with your delivery will give your customers a routine and, eventually, they’ll expect your daily posts. It’s ideal to go with a minimum of five posts on each platform with the exception of (Instagram stores, Snapchat and Twitter – those can be more) – keep in mind that your interactions and engagement will be higher if you’re consistent with your posts.

#10 : Making First Impressions Count.

Would you trust a friend request from someone who doesn’t have a profile or cover photo? So why trust a company who doesn’t have one either?

When a company is searched for on Facebook, the first thing people see is their profile photo. Having a photo that is representative of your company, i.e. a photo of your logo or team, is essential to creating the right first impression. Without it, you could be losing valuable business, or potential customers.

Whilst the same can be said for cover photos, more emphasis is put on them to change regularly. The best way to show someone you have something new or you’re offering a fantastic discount is to let your cover photo speak first.

Changing it often could drive a lot of traffic to your other social media pages, your website or even your telephones, as it’s the best call to action around! Nothing says “Hey! Look at us!!” better than a vibrant cover photo or video.

Just remember, if people are going to follow you on social media, then you have to give something back.

This article has been contributed by Freya Jones who is the founder of @DigitalAdDoctor and a Google Search Partner Follower her on Twitter here