Social media is a beast. It’s not something that can be mastered in one sitting. It takes research, a lot of practice, and knowledge of what works for your company. Heck, I’ve even taken multiple college courses on it and I’m still learning new things daily.
Social media is an evolving entity. It grows each day and has so much more potential than only entertainment purposes. Social has shifted from communicating with old friends to a shopping platform in the form of influencers, new businesses, advertisements, etc.
But, whether you are a seasoned social media veteran or a social newbie, I’ve got some strategies to help you freshen up your content! Let’s start with the basics…
Social Media, Why is it Important?
Great question! Social media is one of the best ways for your brand to get exposure. Quite a few brands I’ve come across are solely from Instagram.
Recently, I saw a nifty purple water bottle while scrolling through my feed, checking my friend’s posts. I stop, and now I’m interested. Was I looking for that particular water bottle? Maybe not, but now I am! That one advertisement drew me in, and I tapped on it.
If I’m your new potential customer, now, I’m on your company’s homepage, where there are many different colors and sizes of the water bottle that I was just intrigued by! And I can even make a purchase directly through the app, and how easy was that?
Social media allows your business to gain:
- increased brand awareness
- increased traffic and leads
- and increased sales
Sound enticing enough? Let’s look into how you can drive more consumers your way with the power of social media. Let’s start off with the best platforms for promotional products.
Platform #1- Facebook
With over 2.8 billion users, Facebook is an excellent tool for B2B marketing.
On your Facebook business page, you can post helpful articles, tips & tricks, or engaging news about your company! Facebook also has a multitude of options for advertising as well. Source: Hootsuite
Platform #2- Instagram
Instagram is a great place to advertise your products and get the word out about your business. More than 36% of B2B decision-makers use Instagram when researching new products or services.
Platform #3- LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s premier business network with 722 million users as of January 2022. A social network for professionals, LinkedIn is a great place to connect with your target audience. After creating a business page on LinkedIn, make sure to post helpful articles and information on your page that links to your website.
Source: Hootsuite
Now that we’ve covered some ground on the best ways to utilize each social media platform, let’s dive into why you need to have a social media strategy.
What is Social Media Strategy?
For a strong social media presence, you have to have a good strategy. A social media strategy is a document outlining your social media goals, the tactics you will use to achieve them, and the metrics you will track to measure your success. So what metrics should you track? Focusing on things like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates will help you develop a better understanding of where your company is growing rather than vanity metrics such as the number of likes and followers, which can change daily.
You may want to track different goals for different social media networks, depending on your target audience and brand exposure.
Source: Hootsuite
How do I keep track of everything?
I have found the best way to keep track of multiple social media accounts is with a social media calendar. A social media calendar can be an overview of your upcoming social media posts. It can be organized in the form of a spreadsheet, Google calendar, or interactive dashboard (if you’re using a social media management app).
On your social media calendar, make sure to include:
- All social media channels
- Content types
- Topic
- Social Copy
- Date/Time
- Approval
You can even cross-post on each channel with a social media management app, so you don’t have to physically post the same thing multiple times.
Source: Hootsuite
How do I make a social media post?
Ready to start creating? Head over to canva.com to create free and easy social media pieces with premade templates to help get you started. (It’s a lifesaver!)
Here are a few examples of types of content you can post:
- Motivational Monday- What inspires you? What drives your company forward?
- Sharing Inspiration Quotes or Images- Everyone likes a pick-me-up!
- Sharing Statistics- There’s always beauty behind the numbers! Share a fun statistic about products or the industry!
- Share Blog Articles, Case Studies, and White Papers
- Company Info/Staff Updates– Share achievements or new hires!
To feel a little bit more inspired, I’ve pulled together some examples to help you generate some new ideas.
Example #1- Sharing Inspiration Quotes, Images, or Memes
Example #2- Share New Hire, Promotions, and Company News
Example #3- Post Shareable Articles
You can also share helpful or interesting articles with your audience to increase your engagement! Here are a few websites you can use to look for sharable content: Forbes.com, Inc.com, Wired, Fast Company, Business Insider, and PPAI.
Takeaways
There are many ways to manage your social channels, but the biggest takeaways you should be practicing are to plan, schedule, and diversify your content to make sure you are reaching the widest audience possible. I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of a very extensive topic, but if you’d like to learn more, check out the full webinar on How to Find Content for Social Media for more insights.
And of course, keep up with all things SAGE by following our social platforms!