Ten social media tips for you or your business.

Tips for Successful Social Media

1. Know Your Audience 

Figure out who your audience is. It’s important to know where you stand before you attempt to widen your audience. Curating content for males between the ages of 25 to 35 is going to look completely different from content for females between the ages of 50 to 60. 

2. Learn the Difference Between Platforms

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn each have their own personality and purpose. You need to make sure that your content fits that purpose. In comparison to Instagram, Twitter tends to be more news centered. Facebook and LinkedIn on average carry an older audience, whereas Instagram can be best for reaching a younger audience. 

3. Have a Strategy/Set Specific Goals

Creating a strategy is debatably the most important element in successful social media marketing. Your strategy guides everything you do, keeping you organized and able to start each day with a plan. Each post should have a goal attached to it. With a strategy, you avoid the bad habit of posting just to post. When you post with intent, it adds value to your content and does not go unnoticed. 

4. Know How to Measure Engagement

Engagement isn’t always likes and shares. When you set goals for what you want your social media to accomplish, you’re able to measure engagement in a way that relates to your version of success. If your goal is to drive traffic to your website, likes don’t equal success; clicks, shares and overall impressions do. 

5. Show Your Personality

In order to stand out on social media, you have to show your personality. Express what makes you different from other people/companies. The beautiful thing about social media is that it does personify companies in a way that has never been done before. Use that to your advantage. 

6. Engage With Your Audience 

Another great thing social media brings to the table is two-way communication. Before, advertising and marketing were only able to use one-way communication channels, like print, television, radio, etc. Now, audiences have the ability to directly connect with a business or brand. While this can be overwhelming, engaging with users builds credibility and brings you closer to your audience.

7. Employ Strong, Qualified Social Media Manager 

Social media can be tricky. Even though many people use it, not everyone knows how to successfully apply it to business. Make sure you hire a qualified social media marketing professional who can do it well.

8. Stay Tuned In to What’s Trending 

Jumping on trending topics is a great way to get noticed and grow your audience, but don’t sacrifice your strategy and voice just to be relatable. Understand that what’s trending in the U.S. may not be what’s trending in your industry. 

9. Use Media in Your Posts

Adding a photo or video to your post is an easy way to grab attention. It’s important to make sure that you are publishing clean, crisp, quality photos and videos. 

10. Don’t Flood the Channels

It’s important to stay active, but make sure you’re not publishing too much content. Each post should have enough time to grow in the spotlight. Studies show that one post a day is best, but more than two may show a decrease in engagement. 

11. Be Consistent

Everything mentioned above will only drive success if they are executed consistently. Consistency is key to audience growth and strong social media presence. 

In order to excel you need a strong base. Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to turn a mess into success, these tips will give you just that. If you’re trying to grow your audience, remember to practice patience. When measuring metrics, keep you goals in mind. And no matter what, don’t give up!