Are You Making the Most of Social Media?

Social media has changed the way the world does business. As the owner or proprietor of an enterprise or brand, it’s more than likely that you’ve adopted social media as an imperative part of your business development. To be the most effective on social media, it’s important to have a comprehensive and well-devised social media strategy to ensure you’re continually bringing consistency to your platforms and constantly moving forward. And of course, you’ll want to avoid infamy by being certain to avoid any embarrassing social media gaffes.

If you’re using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more, how can you be sure you’re getting the very most from your efforts? Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself regarding social media practices for your business.

Are you creating a consistent brand image?

Every tweet you compose, every image you share, and every pin you pin should adhere to a highly consistent brand image. What a business chooses to share on the Internet should always be in keeping with approved company standards and make a logical connection to the brand. (And of course, posts should always be vetted for tastefulness and timeliness). Businesses that share anything and everything will find their impact increasingly diminished. Consumers like knowing exactly what to expect from a brand and articles, tweets, or photos that diverge too vastly from those expectations will fail to be effective for that business. Generating a handbook or document outlining brand guidelines is a great step for ensuring a consistent tone and presentation across all platforms, and any employee who participates in your social media should be given one.

Is your social media engagement leading to sales?

Social media is a savvy way to engage customers and build your brand’s positive reputation. This can have lasting effects on consumer attitudes but its direct results may be harder to measure. You want to be sure that your social media strategy includes approaches that are designed to directly create leads and sales. There are many ways to do this including paid Facebook ads, dedicated Twitter campaigns focusing on new products, or via sponsored Instagram posts.

It is important that your business is tracking these methods closely. Hard data is the number one way to determine what is working best to bring you new customers and genuine sales. You might consider A/B testing to trial different copy language for an ad or set up detailed tracking for your campaigns on various networks. With time and effort, you can discover which social media platforms serve your business or brand most and then redouble your efforts in the places that deliver results.

Do you remember to include CTAs?

Even when you’re not directly selling a product or actively trying to generate leads, every single opportunity for engagement on social media gives your business the chance to grow. Don’t ignore posts with seemingly less impact, as these may serve to endear your brand to a web user or bring your products or services to the mind of a casual browser. It’s all about developing relationships, and you never want to miss an opportunity to expand your reach. One of the easiest ways to do this is to include CTAs (calls to action) in the majority of your posts.

Sharing a photo? Ask a question that drives curiosity or ask users to tag a friend. When done cleverly, this can multiply your engagement tenfold–not to mention your potential customer base.

Another option is to direct users to find you on other social media platforms. Why not use a Facebook post to remind followers that you’re also on Twitter and Instagram, posting exciting and unique content there? Use your existing numbers to push additional growth, and to remain at the forefront of users’ minds.

Are you connecting with individuals as well as other brands?

Potential and current customers aren’t your only audience on social media. In fact, it might be just as important to connect with other brands and businesses. Think of social media as light networking. The business community is sometimes smaller than you think, so maintaining positive relations with other brands is very important. As you connect with these organisations, you may find ways to unite or work together on a project. If a brand likes what you’re doing, they might share your posts/tweets/products with their own followers. This could virtually double your reach with just the press of a button. Don’t ignore these valuable connections that just might give your business the boost it needs.

What do you do to make the most of social media?