1. Create a strategy and stick to it
Before you start posting, it’s important to consider what you want to get out of the time you’re putting in. Who are you targeting and what network are they most likely to be active on? When is the best time to engage with your customers? Are you trying to drive traffic to your website or are you just building your brand’s image? Knowing exactly what you want to achieve will help you measure your success and focus your efforts.
2. Post content with purpose
Think about what your followers are going to get out of your post. What news is most likely to be of interest to them, remembering that most people will avoid anything that resembles an advert popping up in their feed. If you are promoting a product or service, you should include a call to action, telling users why they’re seeing this and what they should do next.
3. Stay engaged with your followers
It can be tempting to schedule your posts for the week and just sit back, but driving real social engagement means building a two-way relationship with your followers. Create conversation, respond to comments, both positive and negative, and make sure they know that you’re listening.
4. Make the most of user generated content
User generated content is a great way of reaching your audience while also learning more about them. You can post questions that your customers are likely to feel passionately about or encourage people to post photos of themselves enjoying your product. Starbucks hosts a ‘red cup challenge’ every year for the best photo of someone enjoying a coffee from one of their signature red Christmas cups.
5. Be consistent
If you’re building a brand that you want customers to identify with, you need to be consistent in your tone of voice and the ways in which you engage. If you switch from casual to formal language or from reserved to risqué comments, your brand’s personality becomes muddled and people will feel disconnected.
6. Only pay for what you need
Paid advertising is effective, however there are many methods of organic growth that can be just as, if not more powerful, depending on what you want to achieve. You can grow your social presence through engaging with blogs, posting on group pages or focussing on quality content that gets shared. Remember, reaching ten relevant users and piquing their interest is more important than reaching a hundred who ignore you.
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