Establishing a social media presence may seem like a no-brainer for anyone wanting to give their business a strong push. But creating a profitable social media plan may be a bit more tricky than it sounds. Even young people across America have booming Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, so it may seem like child’s play. But before you launch into your social media whirlwind, make sure you have a solid, workable plan so that you don’t waste much of your time on faulty or immature strategies.
- Who Exactly is Your Audience
Whether you’re writing a book, launching a product or giving a speech, the first question you need to address is: who is your audience?
The most successful businesses aren’t just the ones with the best products—you need to offer the right product to the right person. And if you don’t know how to speak to your target audience, they won’t listen to you. The best companies, such as this Los Angeles SEO firm have mastered the art of pinpointing target audience.
- Find Out Where Your Target Audience Spends the Most Time
Once you’ve narrowed down the demographics of your ideal audience, do some research to find out which social media channels those people use most. Social media use varies significantly based on many factors. There are certain demographics that dig into more engrossing media outlets like Pinterest and YouTube, while others prefer to skim the surface headlines of Twitter and Facebook. It can make a big difference in your web reach which of these outlets you put the most effort into. Check out this blog to learn more about how to determine which social media sites can help your business most.
- Use Valuable Analytics Tools to Locate Your Audience
A big challenge of social media marketing is the lack of simple, dependable analytics. Even if you get lots of “Likes” or views on your posts, it still may not be translating to sales.
Sites like Buzzsumo allow you to scrutinize relative social media numbers relating to gender, age, education, income, and location. This kind of detailed information is invaluable for the marketer hoping to maximize exposure to a defined, specific clientele.
- Connect the Dots
Remember that social media is all about connecting people, ideas, and products. Since connectivity is the key, it’s important to discover which media sources your ideal users connect to. You’ll find a lot of crossover between social media sites—for instance a user may share a YouTube video on Facebook, or link to a Reddit post on Twitter. Quality content goes around and around through different media channels. This is an opportunity to learn what those channels are in your industry.
- Learn the Rules of Engagement
It doesn’t hurt to learn as much as you can about the customary rules for the social media sites you use. Successful companies succeed by following the posted social media rules. Most social venues will have some kind of posting rules or best practices where you can pick up some good tips. You can find out important information like character or word count limitations, formatting advice, and marketing/promotion guidelines. Don’t make the mistake of trying an advertising strategy that falls outside of the media outlet’s rules.
- Create a Fantastic Profile
If your social network posting goes well, it’ll drive users to your profile, and then if they like what they see, your website. So when a user hits your profile you want it to be clear, professional, and nice-looking. This is your opportunity to show your face, or the face of your business. A good approach on how to construct a great profile is to find respectable profiles of big names in your industry. Take a look at what’s working, and see if you can incorporate some of those winning strategies. Don’t be afraid of being a copycat when it comes to your profile. You have plenty of space for originality in places like your business website.
- Understanding Follows
A great way to boost your web presence and increase your exposure on social media sites is to increase your number of followers. Most social media sites have some system for following other users and smart businesses use this opportunity to establish lasting relationships with clients and notoriety overall in their industry.
So what makes a user Follow another account? The user either knows the person behind that account, they like what they see, or it seems like a popular account to follow. At the beginning, most of your followers will be people you know personally, and a few admirers of your content. As you build your business, you’ll gradually work up to a point of popularity. Be patient, as popularity rarely happens overnight, but is build with quality content, a friendly persona, and good business.
- Post Quality Content
This little trick isn’t a trick at all. If you post quality content, even the most discriminating users will appreciate it. It’s really that simple. Advertising gimmicks don’t work anymore, and most people simply ignore them. So, instead of looking for tricks, look for excellence. Post informative, interesting, and exciting content. This will offer your customers and potential customers substance, which is a great incentive for them to buy into your brand.
- Know the Competition
While so much of social media is about networking and mutual appreciation, don’t forget that at the end of the day you’re still trying to beat out the other companies in your industry.
Social media is a fantastic outlet to scope out the competition. You can learn some valuable strategies from other voices in your industry. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the ongoing dialogue.
- Be Social and Reciprocal
Just because you’re using social media as a form of advertising and business building, doesn’t mean that it’s all business. Don’t forget that social media was made for people to be social! So when someone gives you a shout-out or asks you a question, reply, respond, and return the favor. The key to social media success is to participate in the conversation.
If you would like help creating a Profitable Social Media strategy for your business then claim one of our FREE Success Calls. Simply click HERE. We’d love to have a chat!
Author Bio:
Rohit Bhargava is a wizard of link building, web development, and social media strategy at Coalition Technologies. He has been creating a buzz in the industry for over five years, satisfying customers and clients in any way he can. When he’s not typing and clicking in front of a keyboard, he enjoys reading books outside and writing, and socializing.
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