Choosing which social media platform is best for your business is a crucial part of succeeding at social media marketing. But if you really want to boost engagement with your brand, you also need to know how to interact on social media. No matter which platform you choose, follow these 5 key practices to make sure your social media accounts are always working at their fullest potential!
1. Be personal and professional.
Engage with your followers on a personal level and be real with them. But don’t forget to always support your brand and be professional at the same time. Remember that you have an opportunity to promote your brand and your business everytime you post or comment on social media. What you say, like, or share should be consistent with the values your business holds to.
2. Don’t advertise directly on your page.
It’s social media — not free advertising! Your connections will be a lot more likely to interact with you if you share content that is relevant to their lives. Post helpful information, share tips related to your industry, and don’t be afraid to link to other sites or articles that may be of interest to your audience. The key thought to remember here is that you want to genuinely relate to your audience on a personal, professional level—not inundate them with information about your products or services!
3. Ask questions and comment.
Interact! The best way to make connections or gain followers is to interact with other user’s content. Ask questions on articles, comment on posts, and join in conversations. Be thoughtful, relevant and and consistent to your brand in what you post—this will help you attract the kind of attention you’re looking for.
4. Share visual materials
Visual materials like video clips and photos tend to attract a lot more attention on social media than text-only posts. Share pictures of a product, video testimonials, or other interesting and relevant visual content. It’s super important when sharing visual content to think about how it will affect and support your brand. While selfies and home photos can be effective for certain types of businesses, they can also easily come across as unprofessional. Know your audience and post a mix of content that they’ll appreciate and respond to. And no matter what you post, be sure to use the correct file type for high quality content!
5. Be consistent.
Be consistent with your brand across social media! You want your social media accounts to show a cohesive company brand and voice—not an eclectic combination of materials. Use your logo as an avatar and implement your company’s color scheme where possible. Work out a posting schedule and stick to it! Write your posts with a consistent tone, and use high quality images that are relevant to your industry. Also make sure to fill out your price range, hours, and contact information. This information is not only helpful to your clients, but adds validity to what you are doing.
