Using Social Media Platforms for Your Business
Marketing your business on social media is a full-time job. While there are a lot of platforms to promote your business, understanding the right way to use each of them is key. If you’ve been randomly sharing posts or links to your website, then you’ve probably been wasting your time and not getting anything out of it.
You’ll need to learn the purpose and intent of each site is before you can effectively promote your business. Let’s get started!
I know. Facebook isn’t new. And to say that every business needs a Facebook presence would be a massive understatement. But is your business taking full advantage of the platform?
Content comes in a variety of forms on Facebook; you’ll find success in sharing articles, sharing videos, posting achievements and major updates, and asking questions to your community. Use the 80/20 rule for Facebook as a guide for your strategy. 80% of your posts should educate or entertain your audience. The remaining 20% should promote your business.
Insider tip: Hashtags are optional for Facebook, but they aren’t commonly used.
Instagram is a valuable resource for connecting with potential clients and curating a stunning visual for your brand. Users love double-tapping beautiful photos, behind the scenes moments, and shoppable posts.
Engagement is the name of the game on Instagram. When followers spend time reading your caption, liking, or commenting on your post, Instagram recognizes the engagement and rewards you by showing it to more people. One way to keep those numbers strong? Make sure you stay on the app after posting to reply to comments and engage with other posts.
Insider tip: When you link your account to a Facebook business page, you unlock data and analytical insight into your account and each post.
Compared to Facebook and Instagram, Twitter is a unique social media platform. It’s less visual than Instagram and less social than Facebook. Content also expires much faster. Since Twitter is a fast-paced network, your goal should be to share 8-10 tweets each day. Get even greater results by adding links, images, videos, GIFs, and relevant hashtags. You won’t get to use as many hashtags as Instagram because of the character limit, so choose wisely.
Insider tip: Tweets that are paired with an image earn higher engagement.
Pinterest has become more than a social media site; it’s a search engine. This platform is focused on sharing content visually. The types of posts that perform best on Pinterest are:
– informational lists and articles
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lists of resources
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advice articles
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DIY’s
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weddings
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recipes
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interior decorating
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book suggestions
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business advice
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design tips
When you create pins that lead to posts on your site, you should customize the post. By designing images that are on-brand and easy to read, you’ll entice users to save the pin for later or click through to your content.
Insider tip: Treat Pinterest just like you would your website. Make sure your posts are search engine optimized, and your copy uses the keywords you want to show up for.
Now that you understand the platforms and decided which ones are right for you, how are you going to post? Organizing all of these posts can be overwhelming. It’s almost impossible to post manually; it’s a full-time job. I use amazing tools that help me schedule all of my posts ahead of time and send them out automatically. Check out Later for Facebook and Instagram, and Tweetdeck for twitter if you’re ready to schedule your content, or contact me to get help managing your online presence!
