5 Practical Tips for Beginners: Your Brand and Social Media

If you are a beginner to social media, you might be nervous about where to begin.
In simple terms, we can think of social media as just another form of communications or public outreach to help grow your brand.
For a business or organization, social media can be a cost efficient tool to allow you to have two-way conversations with the public about your ideas, products, and services.
By using social media, you can grow brand awareness for your business and build customer loyalty. You can also gain valuable customer feedback through social listening.
5 Practical Tips for Social Media Beginners
The majority of social sites today are designed to be as user-friendly as possible.
The intuitive management platforms of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn make it easier than ever to promote your ideas online.
1. Before you start, write down some goals for your brand
- What does success look like for your brand on social media?
- Be realistic when you define your goals and make sure your goals align with your business and marketing objectives.
2. You don’t have to join every social media site
- Ask yourself: will this platform allow my brand to connect with our target audience?
- Get to know the features and type of users of each social media site you are interested in to understand if it is right for you.
- Engage in active social listening to help you decide if it is the right place to promote your brand and ideas.
3. Start small and build from there
- Decide how many hours you will dedicate every week to social media.
- Who will be responsible for content development and the day-to-day management of social platforms?
- Map out a content calendar for each month and decide how many pieces of original content you will produce every month.
4. Develop your original content
- Focus on quality, not quantity when it comes to content.
- Visual elements (photos, infographics, videos) are more effective at capturing the attention of social media users and will ensure higher levels of engagement with your content.
- Use hashtags as part of your social media strategy to join a larger conversation, make your content discoverable, or as a unique call-to-action for followers.
5. Use social media strategically
- Once you have set up your accounts, start to build connections with others in your community. Use social media to grow your network.
- Reach out to social media influencers and engage them to help create dialogue and awareness for your brand.
- Use social media regularly — aim to be “always on” social. By being a regular social user, your brand will have greater overall engagement when launching a major campaign or new product.
You CAN achieve your growth goals on social media if you invest some time and effort into building your online profile, growing your connections, and developing quality content.
Wishing you good luck!
