Do you suffer from social media stress? Does it feel like you are trying everything and not succeeding at all? Don't worry, you're not alone. A lot of brands struggle with the same thing. SEO-friendly blogs and a good content strategy can always help a brand grow but social media has proven to be an indispensable tool for companies over the years.
You don't just get to interact and understand your target group, you also receive a lot of information directly from them on how to improve your products and services. When it comes to social media, it is not possible to control what your followers and customers say online about your brand, but it is possible to control how your brand comes across.
Do you want to learn how to use social media marketing effectively to grow your business? Here are 5 tips to help strengthen your brand on social media.
1. First things first, make sure your target group is on social media
There are lots of companies that may not even exist without social media. The internet age is the very reason for their existence, success and growth. Companies like these invest a lot of time in good online interactions with their target groups and it usually pays off. It is important to know your target group and make sure that they are on social media. It would be a waste of time to put so much effort into promoting your business on social media only to find out that your target group isn't active there. Make sure they are on social media and then find the best way to interact with them.
2. Offer content, not a sales pitch
Social media is not necessarily meant to sell something. Of course, you can use it to sell your products but it is more of a channel for you to interact with your customers, share the latest news about your products and services and also answer any questions your (potential) customers may have.
As a brand, you should be seen as a "friend" on social media. Make sure you offer useful content and not a sales pitch. Your content does not always have to be serious, but can also be light and cheerful.
3. Find your unique "tone of voice"
As a brand, it's very important to know who you are and what your identity is. You should always "be yourself" on social media. Many companies make the mistake of having multiple social media identities. They do this to appeal to as many types of customers as possible. This may work, but often a unique social media tone of voice is a lot more effective.
Your brand having one unique voice on social media makes it easy to decide whether to go with a certain hype or not. It doesn't matter the type of "tone of voice" you choose, as long as it fits your brand identity. Your tone of voice on social media also makes it easy for you to interact with your target group. If your target group is young people between the ages of 16 and 22, you may want to have a fun and relaxed tone of voice on social media.
You may also want to keep up with the latest trends that appeal to the young people in that age bracket.
4. Stay relevant by being informed
Social media is a world that is always changing. What is trendy today may not be tomorrow, so always be up to date.
Facebook is a good social media tool for bringing attention to your brand. Same as Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. You should be able to understand the latest ways that you can use these social media tools to interact with your target group. Try to engage your followers and use the opportunity to get feedback from them that could help you improve your brand. An involved target group will be more inclined to show interest in your brand's social media posts.
5. Don't be boring! Be creative!
Finally: don't be boring! No one will listen to what you have to say if you are not creative and your posts are not engaging. Always try to avoid the clichés and do not do things just because other brands are doing it. Be creative so you stand out and also speak the language of your target group. Creative social media posts help you show your brand's personality so that your content perfectly reflects who you are and what you stand for. Being creative and original is extremely important in the online world because you show people:
Who you are?
How you can help them?
What the WHY of your brand is.
As a result of your creativity, people will follow you and become curious about your content. Building your online presence is all about staying true to your tone of voice and just being human. This makes you unique and 100% original and your customers will definitely appreciate it.
In short:
Having a strong online presence on social media can really help your brand. The first thing you must do is to make sure that your target group is also active there. Offer relevant content, be creative and ensure that your main aim is "social interaction" and not sales.
Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat and Whatsapp offer companies a fantastic free platform to promote themselves, build their brand and expand their audience. Although it can be quite the challenge to find time for all those social media sites, staying active is very important. You should, therefore, try to post several times a day. If you have no idea how to do it, hire a (freelance) social media manager or expert. An experienced social media manager knows exactly how to help you gain a large following and connect with your target group with the right tone of voice.
Make sure you offer meaningful and relevant content so you get a valuable and involved audience in return.
Remember that a consistent online presence is essential to growing your number of followers, which means that you have to respond in a timely manner to the replies and questions on your social media posts. Try to also involve your followers in the conversation.
Focus on creating content that shows all aspects of your brand. And remember the rule of 3. Make sure your content meets one of these 3 Es.
Engage
Entertain
Educate
Use your social media profiles to let your target group know what you stand for. Your posts should give people a reason to want to take the next step with you. That next step is going on your website to know more about you and your products.
Do you want more social media tips? Let us know in the comment section below.
