If you’re business isn’t on social media, you’re missing a big opportunity to spread brand awareness and increase sales. More than 40 percent of online consumers research a brand and its offerings via social media, according to Hootsuite.
Whether you decide to promote your business on Twitter and LinkedIn or Facebook and Instagram, this social media posting guide can help.
Social Media Goals
Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with these social media posts?” Perhaps you want to grow your following to a specific number or simply engagement more with your current audience.
Write your goal down. It should realistic, and you should be able to measure your progress in some way. For example, as you try to hit 2,500 followers on Instagram, you can regularly review your weekly increase in followers.
What to Post
Once you define your objective, every post you make on social media should bring you closer to your goal. But what should you post exactly?
Spend a little time browsing social media and you’ll notice that people and businesses love to get creative with post formats. Here are a few experiments to try:
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Have a Theme
Spread out a series of posts that have a similar theme. Each day you could mention a little-known fact about your product or field. Or offer weekly tips and DIY information that your followers will appreciate. Come up with a hashtag that makes it easy to identify your themed posts. For example, a local teashop could include #FridayTeaFacts in a series of informative posts.
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Use Imagery
Images help your posts stand out from all the others. But visuals can do more than just catch attention; use infographics and GIFs that convey useful information to your followers. Share a video if you think it’ll keep your audience’s attention. Then again, sometimes a wholesome meme is ideal too.
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Ask for Feedback
Just like when you’re having a face-to-face interaction, you want to avoid dominating the conversation. Ask open-ended questions to prompt responses from your audience. Make customers feel heard by responding to their posts or highlighting ones that stand out to you. You can also use polls to gauge your audience’s opinion on business decisions and industry news.
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Share Content From Sources Outside Your Brand
Not feeling creative today? Take a break from content creation and share posts from industry leaders and other field experts. This helps you pass on a little knowledge to your followers. You can also share a post from a follower, whether it’s thoughtful praise about your brand and just a bit of humor.
You might even get a response from the original poster and form a tighter bond. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to connect with an influencer.
Get the Timing Right
Post at times when more people are checking social media. According to Sprout Social, the best time to post depends on the social media channel you’re using, as well as your industry. Generally, if you’re selling consumer goods, you’ll get the most views by posting on Wednesdays at around midday.
If you want to go beyond the bare minimum (of course, you do, right?), try to post every day. Use tools to automate your postings. You can take a single work session to schedule out your posts for the next week.
