8 Tips for Your Social Media Content

Social media marketing can seem pretty daunting in the beginning. There are several platforms to choose from and more appearing every day.

The language is different and it’s probably more interactive than any other marketing you are used to.

But if you harness it correctly, it can work wonders for your brand in terms of image, and sales.

Here are 8 things to consider when you are first getting started.

Know Your Audience

Like with any kind of marketing it is important to know who you are selling to. Social media is no different.

Knowing your audience helps you really hone in your content.

If you know that your primary clients are aged 50+ then meme focused content isn’t going to resonate.

Research your audience, what do they like? What are their hobbies and interests? What do they respond well to? In the early days, it will be trial and error but the payoff will be worth it.

Have a Plan and BE CONSISTENT

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Create a schedule or storyboard for each social platform every week and stick to it.

This can be as basic or complex as you need, but it’s worthwhile to make sure that all of your posts are consistent across all platforms. A storyboard ensures that you aren’t caught short for content during the week and gives you a clear vision of the story you want to tell.

Chances are you aren’t spending all day posting on social media because you have other tasks to do. This is where the schedule comes into play as you can organise your time.

Decide on your schedule of availability (set hours and days) and post it on your profile so customers know when to expect a response!

There are plenty of online social scheduling tools which are useful for helping you set up your posts ahead of time so you don’t need to be on social around the clock.

Language

The language you use online is relative to your audience and the platform you are posting on.

Consider your company and your values. Is it appropriate to use slang or colloquialisms? Does it fit your company’s image?

Consider the Platform

If the post is for LinkedIn, then the language should be professional and concise. LinkedIn is a business platform and it’s likely the reader is pressed for time.

Facebook and Twitter are more relaxed and give you the opportunity to start a conversation i.e create polls, get involved in the trending news.

Instagram is a great place to display your creativity and connect with a different audience. Experiment with interesting imagery and video content.

Tone & Voice

Your voice is your brand’s personality and values. Do you believe in being friendly, fun, educational?

You can reflect this in your tone. And your tone will be dependent on the social platform and the scenario.

It’s worth reading your posts out loud before you post them. How do they read? How could they be perceived? Is it possible for it to be taken in the wrong way?

What goes on social media stays on social media.

Be in the Know

Keep on top of the latest trends, news and hashtags.

Is it #NationalHaveACupOfTeaDay, #ThrowbackThursday or #MotivationMonday?

Jump on the hashtag and use it as inspiration for your content. Its great tool for networking and starting conversations. It also adds a human touch to your brand.

Avoid Over Promotion

No one is going to be receptive to a content feed filled with blatant sales posts.

There is nothing wrong with promoting current offers or putting out promotional codes. But if you’re selling for the sake of content, be clever about it.

Instead of a word post that reads “Check our new range of shoes, follow the link” try video content, a series of striking images, or customer interactive content.

Consider creating content series where customers send in photos of themselves with their purchase, create a unique hashtag they can use and give them an incentive such as a photo of the week gets 10% off, or a gift card to use on the store.

This technique promotes your products on your social, your customers are promoting your products for you and you get repeat business.

Interact with Others

Social media is the perfect way to interact with your customers on a human level, but it’s easy to get bogged down with the negativity that comes with having an online profile.

It is important to respond to negative comments and reviews and have a plan in place for how you are going to approach this.

Instead of a generic ‘sorry to hear this’, try reaching out to them with a resolution or contact information to show that you are being proactive and want to provide great customer service.

Also, consider interacting with customers and your peers. If a customer reaches out to you, consider how you might reply, will you be witty, informational, helpful?

For example: