Take a moment to consider the way your company approaches social media. Do you periodically post just because you think you’re supposed to? Do you post a bunch of random content in hopes of gaining a following? Do you hand social media off to the intern because they are young and therefore must be savvy, at least more than you?
Or Do you follow a specific strategy with consideration to the rest of your marketing efforts and business goals? If you follow the second, give yourself a pat on the back! Everyone else - there’s more you can be doing to effectively market your business. Here are a few down and dirty suggestions to better your social media: 1. Start with your business goals in mind and examine how your marketing efforts can support these. Everything your company does should be in support of your mission and your goals should reflect that. How does social media help that mission? How does it bolster the company’s marketing efforts? Where does it fit in?
For example, say a local coworking space has a mission to empower people through community and collective learning experiences. One of the things they do to support that mission is host monthly meetups that teach the public professional skills like intro to HTML, the basics of Photoshop and how to use MailChimp. They have a goal of increasing the number of memberships sold by improving the attendance of their monthly meetups where they offer a discount to new members. The coworking space’s current marketing efforts look like a monthly email newsletter featuring a member highlight and company happenings. They also have Instagram and Facebook accounts where they share day to day life in their space, things like interesting projects happening in the space, workspace improvements and community events - this company posts a total of 8-10 times per month. To service their goals, the company may: A) Amplify their social media marketing efforts by increasing their post frequency in order to expand their reach. B) Partner with local influencers to teach events at their monthly meetups allowing the company to gain exposure from different influencer’s audiences. C) Utilize tactics like promotions and giveaways to convert their social media following into email subscribers that can be nurtured towards a purchase decision.
2. Make sure your content is representative of what your company stands for. This should be a no brainer right? If you run a cowering space you probably don’t want to be posting about that beautiful piece of architecture that was recently constructed downtown (unless it’s one of your member’s work!).You want to be putting out content that relates to your space and the benefits that potential members can gain by joining. If you value community, professional development and creativity, show the wonderful community you are building, the thoughtful skills you teach and innovative solutions that your members have developed. This is something that is easy to digest but can be a challenge to do well. One helpful technique to use when creating content is to go back to your company’s mission and values and consider what your post speaks to. 3. Be consistent with your posts This point can not be stressed enough. Social media marketing is a long term tactic that supports a well rounded marketing program and should be treated as such. While it is true that social can be leveraged in the short term by utilizing tools like influencers or running a contest, even these tactics should be considered and implemented against a long term marketing strategy. Consistency will not only benefit your reach on social channels, it will also build trust with your existing audience as well as prospective followers. In conclusion, don’t post just to post - take the time to consider your company’s goals, your complete marketing program and how you would like to utilize the attention gained through your social media efforts.