Can you believe it’s already been ten years since Mark Zuckerberg introduced Facebook? Social media sure has come a long way since then. Now, in addition to Facebook, we have networks like Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ to help us connect with the people, places and things that we love online.
Social media has created a ton of opportunities for businesses, too. In the last ten years, social media has helped business owners and digital marketers find new ways to tailor advertisements, create brand identities and build connections between companies and their consumers.
Even though most companies have social media pages these days, many business owners still struggle to understand it, what to do with it and which networks are of value to their company. For example, which social media networks should you focus on? And what should you be sharing?
Read on for answers to these questions and more on how to businesses can make the most of social media.
Find Your Audience
First and foremost, learn where your followers are most active and what social media networks they use regularly to interact with your company. Are most of your followers on Facebook, for example? Or Twitter? Or both? Once you can answer that, spend your time, budget and resources implementing a plan that best suits those social media networks.
Start Sharing
Once you’ve chosen your networking sites, start regularly sharing content that’s unique, interesting and relevant to your audience. Remember that people love visuals, and they’re more likely to share things that inspire emotions rather than simple facts. This doesn’t mean you should let emotions run your strategy, though; try to avoid potentially controversial personal opinions and biases that may alienate customers.
In addition to posting content regularly, also remember to maintain a two-way conversation with your followers by responding to their questions, comments and concerns.
Get Organized
Create goals and objectives that help you measure your social media success. For example, make it a goal to get 100 likes and shares on a particular post or to share 50 blog posts in three months and measure the reach of each post. With the help of measurement software, like Google Analytics and many more, you have the access to the stats that help you find out what really works for your business.
What are your secrets to social media success? Let us know on our favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter.
