Confused about social media?
You’re not alone. Almost everyone knows what social media is when it comes to Facebook and Twitter but Pinterest, Instagram and other social media sites are a total mystery. Even the business owners who “get it” and know that they should be engaging their customers with Facebook (at the very least) have a tough time dealing with their social media campaigns. When should I post, how often should I post and most importantly, what should I post are totally valid questions.
But first, let’s explore the reasons why or if you even need social media.
- Your company needs to build relationships and stimulate repeat business. By reaching out to new customers and engaging with past and present customers you are forming relationships and loyalty
- You are building familiarity about your brand. Even when people are not interacting with you, it may be important for them to see your logo or products so that they know you exist. For instance, a paid Facebook ad that doesn’t get many clicks may not be a failed campaign. Just the fact that the ad has appeared in people’s timelines is valuable exposure for your brand. If you’re only paying for clicks and not impressions, it’s a pretty inexpensive way to get people to notice you.
- Some businesses do not need social media. If your business requires a certain degree of client anonymity you certainly don’t want to be posting their testimonials to Facebook (unless they approve). Other businesses such as medical, plumbing and even real estate agents would be better off not using social media is they are just posting procedure info, random real estate listings, etc. If it’s something you already have on your website, posting the same thing to social media could bore your visitors.
- For instance, as a real estate agent rather than posting random listings to Facebook, wouldn’t it be better to ask questions and provide homeowner tips? After all, not everyone is looking to buy a home. However, they could use tips on maintaining the one they have or might buy.
- A chiropractor posting boring news about the latest procedure article may benefit more from a poll or even a simple but fun contest to win a gift certificate.
- If you’re not going use it, don’t do it! Nothing is worse than visiting a Facebook or other social media page with little to nothing going on. Nobody has time to view a snoozefest so don’t shoot yourself in the foot. If you cannot manage your social media campaign either hire someone to do it for you or delete it.
Ok, so how often and what should I post?
As a rule, you should post at least a couple times per day. I know what you’re all thinking, “when do I have time?”. Personally, I like to arrange all of my posts early in the morning and schedule them to auto-post for me throughout the day. Yes, it takes some effort but not a huge amount. Things that you should post include:
- Upcoming events or sales
- Achievements by one of your employees or a story about a great customer
- Hits and tips about how to use something you sell or suggestions about how someone might use your services
- Photos or videos about something that really stands out
- Most important of all, mix and match all of the above randomly. Keep them guessing.
- Share or re-Tweet interesting posts or Tweets that others have created. Sharing is caring givers gain.
- Don’t be afraid to Like or Favorite what others post. Feels good when someone Likes your posts, right?
Like everything else in life, what you invest into something often dictates what you get back. This is true for gardening, boxing and making cupcakes. If you truly want to be successful with Internet marketing, dip your toes into the water and give it a try. If you still don’t have time, yet realize that this is something important that you NEED to do, contact us and we’ll set up a plan to manage your social media for you.
