Enhancing Social Media for Your Business

Social media is not just for “those youngsters” anymore. In fact, it is actually a quite popular business tactic. In 2016, 74 percent of marketers said they planned to expand their social media advertising over a year-long time period. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, social can be a highly profitable medium companies would be wise to leverage.

Building a social media following does not happen overnight, unless you are a celebrity. But, there are ways to boost your presence to help gain a larger customer base. Just because an employee post gets several likes on Facebook or retweets on Twitter does not mean business will suddenly boom. Of course, every little like helps; here are some more useful tips every business can benefit from.

Picking the social network platform for your business is of the utmost importance. Things to consider: how the platform is used and if it makes sense from a business perspective. Whoever is doing the social media must understand each individual platform for optimal results. Facebook is still leading the pack with 80 percent of all internet users (68 percent of American users) utilizing it. The appeal of Facebook, aside from connecting to friends, families, and colleagues globally, is the ability to create engaging ads, regardless if your business is B2B or B2C. These creatively designed ads will encourage users to click on them, bolstering your business or creating brand awareness.

YouTube allows businesses to make tutorials on new releases, put them on the company YouTube channel and create excitement. Twitter is another promotional tool where announcements are made in regards to new releases. It also supports 40 languages with 79 percent of accounts based outside of America.

LinkedIn helps businesses and employees connect; 80 percent of marketers use it for professional needs. There are more forums, but how can social media help your business as a whole? Company and employee profiles, once a platform has been agreed upon, need to be completed. Company news, industry insights, and announcements can be posted, increasing social media productivity.

With social media, it gives great insight into what the competition is up to; what is working for them and what your company can do to improve the brand. It’s like being a social media fly on the wall. Businesses can also find insight on these platforms by connecting with the leaders and influencers that have the most pull, those they hope to emulate. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, connect on LinkedIn, go the extra mile.

These are some basic social media tools but, when it comes to sharing appropriate content, there is a balance rule to follow: 70-20-10. The content shared should be adding value/building your brand 70 percent of the time, sharing other’s ideas 20 percent of the time, and 10 percent of the time, promoting your own business.

Remember to know our audience, so your business can pick the proper social media platform. Once you do this, do not forget that the key word in the term “social media” is social so make sure to engage with followers so they know you are human; make them want to work and interact with your brand.

How strong is your social presence?