Boost Your Business Using Social Media Channels

Social media is arguably the most unifying of the various internet platforms. Over 2.5 billion people actively use social media networks, a number this is continually growing.

This makes a crucial space for your business to thrive in, and it takes more than hashtags to do this. Many strategies will boost brand awareness on social media; the key is finding the ones that work for you.

The success of your social media performance requires careful analytics of various metrics so that you can take the strategies that are providing you with a good return on investment, and ditch the ones that aren’t.

Choosing the right channels

The popularity and effectiveness of the primary social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are constantly changing. Add into this the second tier of popular channels like LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat, and it can be a lot to devote your time to. It’s best to hedge your bets across a few channels, but not all of them. Pick two or three that resonate best with your audience and services.

Putting a focus only on one social network is a bad idea; you are missing a massive chunk of the potential audience. Instead, use a variety of networks for different purposes. Use each platform in unique ways, and this will prompt users to follow your business on more than one channel.

The power of influence

There are significant numbers of marketers who claim influencer marketing is effective, so we can’t ignore it. Depending on your budget you may also wish to consider micro-influencer marketing as well.

Internet users are skeptical of traditional advertising methods which is why we have seen such a significant rise in sponsored content. Social media influencers have a strong connection with their target audience, and this is something worth taking advantage of.

Focus on good engagement

One of the best things you can do to boost your business with social media is using the channels in the way they were initially intended. They are communication platforms, and they have bridged the gap between consumer and business. As a result, people expect fast responses to their queries via social media and there are algorithms in place to reward businesses who give it. It also creates a happier more loyal customer.

Facebook and Instagram, in particular,  measure engagement determine what content should be displayed. Comments are considered as currency in this, and posts that receive more comments are given higher priority, so it is good for you to encourage, and take part in, discussion.

This is why many businesses hire a social media manager to react to user comments quickly, keeping the engagement levels high. Ensure that your interactions are on-brand and personable, users will smell a robot from a mile away.

Spend a little money

Organic reach and followers are a really good thing, but they are also the hardest to earn. For more immediate results you will want to include some paid elements into your strategies to amplify your reach.

Look-alike audiences are a process of uploading a list of email addresses to a platform so that it can identify other users with a similar demographic to target your ads to.  This is a smart and quick way to grow your social media following.

Measurement

Everything we have discussed above, and your entire strategy in general, hinges on analytics and measurement. You need to constantly monitor what is working and what isn’t so you can focus on the elements that are bringing in a return. It is the best way to understand if your social strategy is working.

Measure on-platform metrics like:

• Follower growth
• Engagement
• Distribution
• On-site performance

The last one is important because you want to understand how people who visit your website from your social media channels behave. Tools like Google Analytics are a great way of telling if your existing strategy is providing beneficial business outcomes, if not then try something else. It can be overwhelming and confusing at times, but the work you put into your digital marketing strategy will be the equivalent of what you get out of it. Best of luck!