Social media has become a part and parcel of today's existence and we know for sure that it's here to stay. We enjoy sharing our lives online with friends, family, and others. This is the usual breezy use of the platform.
However, when it comes to building a brand, social media presence is one of the key tools for marketing and advertising. This effective utilization goes way beyond occasional random posts and requires structure and strategy. Hiring a good digital marketing agency can take your brand to new heights. The agency can get a results-driven social media strategy & sync it with planned Marketing Targets.
Why social media presence?
To stand out amongst 3 billion active users around the globe, this should be the first and most important question that needs to be answered. If the reason happens to be "because everybody does it", you've got to evaluate your priorities. Creating a social media profile is free of cost, and anybody can do it. Taking efforts to make it bloom, even under this wide umbrella, makes your brand soar to new heights.
Here are some actionable tips you can delve into for creating a rock-solid social media presence.
#1. Figure out your niche
The Sun shines all around, but when focused with a mirror on a sheet of paper, it can set the paper to fire. This is the perfect analogy to understand niche-setting.
Having a network of even a thousand, who are involved is better than having lakhs of uninterested followers.
So, the first step to social media mastery would be to identify the potential target audience. Among these would be, influencers or direct potential buyers who will take the brand to the next level. Breaking that down would lead to specific goal setting on
- Kind of posts
- Quality of posts
- Posting schedule
#2. Create a system
Creating systems of work has replaced the traditional goal-setting methods, which can also apply to improving social media presence.
A system includes a strong why to your goals. This process is highly effective as the vision behind the goals is transparent and makes it easier to achieve. Without a why, you will simply be fish lost in the sea.
Designing the system
- as specific as possible,
- setting achievable targets, and
- making the goals time-bound
Any goal without a deadline is simply a dream, so make sure to conduct regular reviews.
#3. Learn
Setting goals is a great foot forward, but it's the very beginning.
There are many social media tools like hashtags which when leveraged properly yield great results. Gaining an understanding of the various platforms and their intricacies will help gauge engagement. The content can be curated keeping in mind the
- search engine optimization,
- algorithm of the platform, and
- the needs of the audience.
Visual content, images, and attractive videos are popular against all demographics. These techniques can be learned via online courses (Yes, they exist. Yes, they work.) or by simply observing a competitor.
#4. Plan, plan, and action
With social media becoming a huge boom, there are various emerging tools you can use to plan out the content strategically. These also help to set a standard for your brand image.
Apps like
- Hubspot’s Social Inbox
- Lightroom
- Canva
- Inshot
help create interesting visuals, set timelines, make videos and give a preview.
These apps are easy to use and help maintain consistency. Social media is not a sprint; it's a marathon for as long as your brand runs. Posting consistently according to the platform ensures maximum engagement.
#5. Be raw and real
Social media is not for programmed robots, it is for, by, and of real people. The more you humanize your brand, the better the relationships with your audience.
After all, isn’t that the “social” part of social media?
It is not right to just bombard your followers with automated content and walk away. Give a shoutout to inspiring people, pick on random followers and show some behind the scenes action. People love to connect and create relationships with the real you. Some action items you can begin right away:
- Replying to comments
- Posting interactive stories
- Call-for-action content
- Addressing concerns
- Showing appreciation
#6. Add value
Social media these days is the new platform for customer service with flooding opinions, queries, and complaints on anything and everything. According to Forbes, 54% of customers prefer contacting the brand via social media than waiting 1-3 business days for a customer call or email.
How can this be of use to a brand owner?
Instead of focusing only on selling your product, you can focus on adding value to the people through service aids. This can be achieved by consistently showing that you care. Solve their issues, give them trustworthy answers and you will be assured to win some loyal customers for life.
#7. Be creative
Standing out on social media is very important and this cannot be achieved by copying popular brands. Building yourself up requires you to showcase your originality. Make interesting visuals, add personal photographs, and engage with contests and giveaways. Ask yourself
Why should people follow me? What do I do differently?
- Be as creative as you can get.
- Explore various mediums of publishing the same type of content.
- Analyze the statistics and do more of what works.
The most important step here is to remember who you are.
#8. Optimize the tools
A popular saying goes that it is not enough to aim, as is to hit.
Utilize trending fads, breaking news, and highlights and give out your perspective. A consistent voice will show off the faces behind your feeds. This will ensure constant new engagement and a sense of connection with your real voice.
It is okay to lose out on the strict muscles of branding and give out fun content every now and then. Creatively uniting this with your brand image can also hop you on to the viral side!
Final thoughts
We are sure that these tips will take you a head start. If you learn anything new, feel free to share it down below in the comments, and we can grow as a community.
Creating a social media presence is like creating a loyal community of fans, supporters, and customers. Though it seems like a lot of work at the pretext, it will become enjoyable once the relationship gets tight. Switching amongst various platforms will ensure you get a hang of it all.
Finally, when the benefits are reaped, it'll all be worth it.
The algorithm of social media is just like life- it's unpredictable. But what matters at the end is the journey you take, more than the destination. Get ready to make 2021 the best year of your social media life, yet!