TOP 7 THINGS THAT HELP CREATE A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Many companies use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many more. The problem is not always what to post, but how to use the platforms. Many companies are unable to comprehend this concept, and do not have a great presence through social media. Below are a few key concepts that can ensure one’s social media will receive the attention it deserves.

Give people a reason to follow you

When it comes to many things people will ask the question, “What’s in it for me?” For social media this is especially true. When creating posts try to generate content that will not only gain followers, but entertain those who already do follow you. It is important to create loyalty and post material that is relevant or useful.

Do not outsource

Posting information from someone within the company is the most authentic way to distribute information. By designating an employee within the company to come up with posts and blogs, the social media will not only remain consistent, but it will seem more genuine. Those who only post corporately versus, from an account in office have a smaller following. There is always more interaction from the audience when they know there is a human behind the screen.

Interaction

Make sure you are interacting and engaging with your audience. It cannot be stressed enough that you must interact with those who are trying to interact with you as a company. Make sure to comment on posts, respond to questions, tag people, like photos, etc. It reiterates that there is someone behind the computer screen, and affirms that you are looking to reciprocate the interaction. This creates a more trusting relationship between the company and the followers to know they will receive a response or engagement on their posts.

This is also a great way to receive shares. If you are consistently engaging, people are more apt to share your posts, which will give your company more reach. Try to stay away from controversial topics however, as this may create a negative image for your company.

Consistent Posting

Social media platforms cannot help your company if they do not use them. For example if a company only posts once a week, they will not have the same presence as someone who posts 4 times a week. When a company does not post, people will either forget about you, or hit unfollow, because you are not updating your information consistently. It is important to post as frequently as appropriate for your company and audience. If people choose to follow you, it is because they are interested in updates and information, so keep them engaged! If you do not post often, you could lose long term followers and it could prevent you from gaining new followers.

Support your other platforms

If you are using more than one platform to promote your business or company, use all social media to promote them. There are always going to be platforms that receive more attention than others, but there is no reason neglect one account because another has more success. One can post about the other platforms, post the links on the other accounts, post the links on the website, etc. These are easy and free ways to promote yourself on social media to gain followers and interaction.

Use hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to reach new followers that may not have been reachable otherwise. Anyone can search hashtags, or click on hashtags to see related posts, which is why this is great tool to use when promoting an event, or even to highlight key words. This way when people are searching Instagram, or twitter for hashtags such as #accelerators for example, they may happen upon a post your company has made that included the hashtag.

Boost your posts

Everyone wants to be at the top of the list, or have their post sponsored show people see it whether they intended to or not. By boosting your post, you could move to the top of the list and be the first thing a user sees when they log on to surf the web. Sometimes this can be expensive, so be sure to be mindful of when you boost, or which posts a company chooses to boost. This could be a very useful tool for advertising without having to pay a lot more money to produce commercialized advertisements.

All of these tactics can be used to gain a greater social media presence. Social media can be a very powerful tool if one knows how to manage each account for the specific company. It is important to know the audience, interact, and create an online relationship with followers. Building up the social media and follower base will result in greater awareness of the company and brand. One must be careful to be appropriate and consistent, but once established this will be a useful tool for companies to display their information.