4 TIPS TO KNOW FROM A PRO
In the beginnings of social media, you could just post whatever you wanted and everyone would see it. There was no algorithm dictating who saw what. Fast forward to 2019, and it’s so different. Everything is methodical; everything is done with purpose. That’s why creating a social media strategy is crucial to your business. While your specific strategy will be unique to you and your business, there are some universal first steps.
1. ESTABLISH A BRAND.
If you already have one, that’s great! If not, work with a professional to create one. Your brand is the one thing that defines you and should also be present in your social media strategy. Working with a professional is key.
>>> GOOD TO KNOW
Working with a branding professional can come with full brand guidelines from logo placement to colors and font styles.
2. IDENTIFY WHY YOU ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC.
Both of these will help you create your goals. Starting a social media strategy without knowing your target follower/consumer will never work. You know your business better than anyone; now it’s time to reach the person you’d like to teach about it.
3. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR FOLLOWERS’ SHOES.
Are you posting something that would make you stop and read it, or just scroll by? With thousands of social media accounts added daily, it is so important to provide your followers with meaningful, accurate, informative and most importantly, AUTHENTIC content. Many times when I coach others on taking full advantage of social media I like to stress: Stop the fluff. Post the content that will draw them in, make them react. Be a human!
4. BE PATIENT.
One of the most important things to understand is that social media audiences do not grow overnight. It’s about building relationships and cultivating trust in your followers. It can take months or even years to drive conversions.
MEET THE EXPERT
Suzanna Wasserman is the Director of Marketing for The Shoppes at EastChase and Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors. She is responsible for the marketing, events, communication and business development efforts of the shopping center, as well as the corporate office. She has more than 10 years of experience in marketing and public relations.
THE BASICS OF BUILDING A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN FROM THE START:
- YOU NEED TO COMMIT FOR THE LONG TERM. One post per month or even one per week won’t cut it. Be consistent and thorough with every form of social media.
- EXPECT TO INVEST IN SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING. Digital is the most cost-efficient form of direct advertising we have now, so use it!
- CREATE A PLAN OR A STRATEGY. If you as a business owner do not have the time, I highly recommend that you hire someone. Even to consult. It’s so important to start off strong when launching your social media campaign.
- PICK A PLATFORM. Every business is expected to be on social media now, but I don’t encourage jumping all in for every channel. Find out what is best for your business. For instance, unless you have informative information and can post multiple times a day, Twitter is not for you. Start with one channel and grow once your business (and content) grows.
- MEASURE YOUR EFFORTS. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Instagram and Facebook both have a built-in insights tool that can help you track the best days to post, what gets the most engagement and much more
CONNECTION COUNTS
Kitty Wasserman’s Instagram account, @kittywass, is a great example of gaining an audience by truly connecting with them. She’s a Broker/Owner for Capital Realty Group River Region, but in addition to her “day job,” in 2018, she started her Instagram account to inspire women across the world to find their style and be more confident, even over the age of 70. She now has more than 100,000 followers, and she hit that high mark in just over a year. But she’s earned this number by spending every morning before work and every evening responding to all of her comments; she’s genuine with her approach. Social media is the one place where you can connect on a personal level with your followers.
