Starting a social media presence from absolutely nothing can seem a little daunting, and many put this off. However, a social media presence is highly important in today’s world of business, and customers will simply expect you to have one.
Whether you have only just launched your business, just produced a new product line or begun work on expanding, now is the right time to investigate social media.
Look around you. Everyone is constantly on their phones, and the majority are browsing social media. So, if your business doesn’t have active social media channels, it may not be reaching as many customers as it could do.
1. Check for gaps in your knowledge
Even if you are experienced in your business area, this doesn’t mean there won’t be large gaps when it comes to online marketing and the digital world.
Before you jump into the world of social media and start signing up to Instagram, firstly assess what you currently know. Social media is rapidly evolving, and it fits into different business areas in many different areas. Social media channels that work for a food or drink business may be completely different to those that work for a technology brand.
While social media training and courses can be beneficial, you could also consider studying for an MBA, which gives an all-round approach to every aspect of real-world business. As it’s a hands-on course, you’ll start to see how businesses are affected by the fast-evolving digital world, giving you insights as to where social media can play a huge part. Check out https://online.suffolk.edu/programs/mba for more advice and insights.
It’s essential that, before you take any big steps in opening up your business to a global audience online, you’re fully knowledgably across all areas of digital marketing. Social media included!
2. Understand your audience
It’s quite easy to waste time investing in social media channels that have zero value to your business. The way to find out which channels are going to be of use is to identify social platforms that your target audience uses regularly. Spend some time conducting thorough research before setting up any accounts. You want to be reaching your target customers, which can be across a combination of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tumblr, or Snapchat.
Age is the first factor to look at across your audience. It’s common that those of school and college ages are highly active on Instagram and Snapchat, whereas Twitter tends to attract an audience predominately of 21 plus.
Facebook is a huge all-rounder, but don’t just estimate. Thoroughly research before you hone in on your focus areas.
3. Use Content Calendars
After determining where your key audience is, the next step is to start planning how to create winning content that they will want to share on social media.
Create a content calendar to which, between you and your team, you can add ideas. It’s best to run it on a month by month basis, so that you are forever forward thinking about social campaigns for future months and events.
Ensure your content includes a variation of links to interesting articles either from your own blog or external content relevant to your business area, of course avoiding any allusions to competitors. Look at events you can discuss and share, video clips you can create, even polls and quizzes. Remember to always prioritise quality over quantity.
While it is best all round to keep a consistent schedule of regular content, don’t just post poor-quality images or news for the sake of filling a space.
4. Keep an eye on your competitors
It’s always best to stick to your own unique style, but keeping an eye of competitors will keep you in the loop of what others may be trying out. Following your brand or company’s competitors can allow you to keep a close watch on them and to see what works well and what doesn’t. It could open your eyes to the missing gaps you may have.
Even if all you get from it is noticing how often they post or what seems to get the most engagement, monitoring your competitors’ social presence can massively help guide you on your right path.
Once you have followed the above steps, make sure you encourage all your employees, friends and family to follow your social media profiles. You want to be gaining some initial traction right from the beginning, and you might need those close to you to step in.
Good luck!