For Your Business: A Guide to Social Media Marketing - 2
Get the ball rolling with the second of our handy guide to marketing your business on social media
In the second of our two-part guide to social media marketing we guide you through the start of the process, including tips on how to choose the right platforms, how to define your goals, as well as setting up your profile and deciding what content to share and when to post it.
Read also: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing – Part 1
Read also: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing – Part 1
Define your goals
Now that you have an idea of the social media channels you want to engage with, you can formulate a plan for what you actually want to achieve.
Gibbons says, “Map your social media goals on to your broader business objectives. So if you want to increase sales, think about the specific things social media can help you with – lead generation, for example. Then add a metric to each goal, such as ‘I want to bring in five new leads through Facebook every month’ or ‘I want to participate in three conversations with potential clients on Twitter’. Choose metrics that are realistic but aspirational, and if you don’t hit your targets use the free analytics that most networks offer to identify what types of content you’re getting the best engagement on and adjust your content accordingly.”
Now that you have an idea of the social media channels you want to engage with, you can formulate a plan for what you actually want to achieve.
Gibbons says, “Map your social media goals on to your broader business objectives. So if you want to increase sales, think about the specific things social media can help you with – lead generation, for example. Then add a metric to each goal, such as ‘I want to bring in five new leads through Facebook every month’ or ‘I want to participate in three conversations with potential clients on Twitter’. Choose metrics that are realistic but aspirational, and if you don’t hit your targets use the free analytics that most networks offer to identify what types of content you’re getting the best engagement on and adjust your content accordingly.”
Set up your profile
Once you’ve decided on one or two platforms, it’s important to make your profile look as good as possible to help you and your business engage with potential followers. The image you choose is the first step, so ensure it’s high quality and shows off your brand in the right way. If your posts are going to be more personal, you should add a photo of your face rather than a brand image, as it will be more approachable. Include an informative description of yourself or your firm, mentioning your professional expertise, and give an idea of the type of content you’ll be sharing. Lastly, try to include a link to your website to encourage traffic and boost your search engine optimisation (SEO).
Once you’ve decided on one or two platforms, it’s important to make your profile look as good as possible to help you and your business engage with potential followers. The image you choose is the first step, so ensure it’s high quality and shows off your brand in the right way. If your posts are going to be more personal, you should add a photo of your face rather than a brand image, as it will be more approachable. Include an informative description of yourself or your firm, mentioning your professional expertise, and give an idea of the type of content you’ll be sharing. Lastly, try to include a link to your website to encourage traffic and boost your search engine optimisation (SEO).
Link your website to social media
Your social media marketing strategy will be much more effective if you can integrate your website with your social media platforms. You can do this in a few ways, the most obvious being the inclusion of social media buttons on your web page that users can click on easily in order to visit your platforms. It’s also possible to embed your social media feed on your website, so visitors can see what you’re posting and link to it if they wish. An essential task is to make it simple for users to share your content on social media channels, so include Share icons next to each piece of content.
How to connect your website and social media presence
Your social media marketing strategy will be much more effective if you can integrate your website with your social media platforms. You can do this in a few ways, the most obvious being the inclusion of social media buttons on your web page that users can click on easily in order to visit your platforms. It’s also possible to embed your social media feed on your website, so visitors can see what you’re posting and link to it if they wish. An essential task is to make it simple for users to share your content on social media channels, so include Share icons next to each piece of content.
How to connect your website and social media presence
Build your network
Your next step is to start creating a network by following other social media users. Look for influential people in your niche, as this will give you an insight into the type of posts and content they’re sharing, some of which which you could also share. By following high-profile users in your niche you’ll be given opportunities to join conversations and raise your own profile.
Remember to keep the right balance between the amount of followers you have and the people you are following, as social media users tend to look more favourably on brands that have more followers, rather than the other way round.
Your next step is to start creating a network by following other social media users. Look for influential people in your niche, as this will give you an insight into the type of posts and content they’re sharing, some of which which you could also share. By following high-profile users in your niche you’ll be given opportunities to join conversations and raise your own profile.
Remember to keep the right balance between the amount of followers you have and the people you are following, as social media users tend to look more favourably on brands that have more followers, rather than the other way round.
Share content
The best way to attract followers and keep them engaged is to offer them valuable content – gorgeous images, useful infographics or longer articles and blog posts. Set aside regular time to build up a bank of content that you can share with your followers. It’s a good idea to set up a blog on your website where you can write about things your customers might find interesting, such as thoughts on design trends, how-to guides or projects you’re working on. Share these posts regularly and make them valuable – if your content is useful and informative, it will help to build up a trust between you and your network. Don’t forget to add hashtags as these make it easier to search your content.
Many social media experts recommend using the 80/20 rule when it comes to posting content – share 20% of your own content and 80% of other people’s. This might sound strange, but in fact by highlighting industry ideas you’ll build connections, improve your reputation as someone who takes an interest in their profession and establish yourself as an authority.
The best way to attract followers and keep them engaged is to offer them valuable content – gorgeous images, useful infographics or longer articles and blog posts. Set aside regular time to build up a bank of content that you can share with your followers. It’s a good idea to set up a blog on your website where you can write about things your customers might find interesting, such as thoughts on design trends, how-to guides or projects you’re working on. Share these posts regularly and make them valuable – if your content is useful and informative, it will help to build up a trust between you and your network. Don’t forget to add hashtags as these make it easier to search your content.
Many social media experts recommend using the 80/20 rule when it comes to posting content – share 20% of your own content and 80% of other people’s. This might sound strange, but in fact by highlighting industry ideas you’ll build connections, improve your reputation as someone who takes an interest in their profession and establish yourself as an authority.
Make a schedule
The key to success when using social media is to be consistent, and to do this it’s best to have a schedule. Put together a social media content calendar, which organises the dates and times you wish to publish posts, tweets and other content. Schedule and format your messages in advance, rather than posting spontaneously whenever the mood takes you. This way you can think hard about the language you use and how you are going to convey your message.
“There’s a great free tool called Buffer that will schedule your social media updates for you,” says Gibbons. “Once you have a certain number of followers, Buffer will use that data to tell you when your followers are most likely to be online, and schedule your updates accordingly.”
4 social media management tools to save you time
Tell us:
Are you about to start marketing your firm on social media? Or have you already been successful with social media marketing? Share your tips and experiences in the Comments section.
The key to success when using social media is to be consistent, and to do this it’s best to have a schedule. Put together a social media content calendar, which organises the dates and times you wish to publish posts, tweets and other content. Schedule and format your messages in advance, rather than posting spontaneously whenever the mood takes you. This way you can think hard about the language you use and how you are going to convey your message.
“There’s a great free tool called Buffer that will schedule your social media updates for you,” says Gibbons. “Once you have a certain number of followers, Buffer will use that data to tell you when your followers are most likely to be online, and schedule your updates accordingly.”
4 social media management tools to save you time
Tell us:
Are you about to start marketing your firm on social media? Or have you already been successful with social media marketing? Share your tips and experiences in the Comments section.
Before you start your social media marketing campaign, it’s important to get to know the online habits of your clients. Define your target customer and work out how, when and where they engage with social media channels. There’s no point posting enthusiastically on Instagram when your potential customers spend most of their time on Snapchat.
By determining how old your target clients are, where they live and their work and lifestyle, you might be able to get some idea of how they spend their time on social media. A recent study of social media demographics, for example, found that the majority of Facebook users are female, mainly between the ages of 18 and 49, and most spend about 20 minutes a day on the platform. Twitter users, on the other hand are predominantly male, between the ages of 18 and 29, and only spend an average 2.7 minutes on the app.
Social media strategist Jemima Gibbons advises, “If you do have some money to spend, this is one area where it would be worth paying a consultant or agency to produce an initial report for you. If not, often it’s good to just follow your hunches – ask people you know in that demographic what they like, or read on social media, and do some desk research. A good Google should bring up some decent results around ‘most popular social network for 18-24 year old women’, for example.”