In this blog post, I’m excited to provide a detailed explanation of 11 ways to market on social media to help you optimize your social media marketing strategy. So, let’s dive in!
How to market like a pro on social media
1. Have a social media calendar
A social media calendar will help you remain organised every day of the week without having to rack your brain about what to post to your audience because you have everything planned out.
You can keep a simple calendar by jotting post ideas in a notebook, or go technical with apps. You may also use a spreadsheet to plot different ideas for the days of the week.
2. Schedule your post
Now that you know what to post on your social media timelines, the next question you probably have is how to post in a timely manner. This is where scheduling comes in, and most importantly where important apps like Hootsuite and Buffer are very useful.
You can schedule directly on Facebook without using any third party app. See this post for how to go about it.
Scheduling enables you to update your timeline without having to add content every now and then. You can load up as much as 2000 posts per social media account in advance, and they will be published at the specified date and time. Is that not blissful? Check out the aforementioned apps and start scheduling your posts. You can even start with their free plans.
3. Use the right image sizes for each platform
Using the right size will make your content outstanding and give your branding a professional outlook. Have you seen posts on your network with cut-out words? What came to your mind when you see such posts? That exactly is how people feel when you upload shabbily arranged content.
You should show your audience that you put precision into your content and that your messages are deliberately composed for them.
See this free guide for social media image sizes
4. Engage with your followers
Do you ignore your followers comments on your posts, or at worst, reply with an emoji?
No, that is not how it is done. You should interact with them on a human level. Have you heard that selling is no longer business to business but human to human? Here are some pretty easy ways to keep engagement with your fans flowing:
- Give them shoutouts
- Reply their messages
- Like their own contents too
- Retweet their contents of interest
- Comment on their uploads of interest
- Wish them happy birthday
- Take time to reply their comments on your posts instead of using a single emoji
Be human on any social media platform because people want to engage with humans not robots, so, do not behave like a bot.
5. Do not buy followers
I wonder why people take this route anyway. If you buy followers, be ready to destroy yourself in the following ways:
- Bot followers are capable of spamming your real followers, putting you at risk of getting suspended or even banned.
- Fake followers are not interested in your business, so if you buy followers, you are losing money in two ways. One is the money you paid to the seller, and the other one is the money, time and effort you invest in social media marketing.
- You will also lose credibility if you buy followers, because it will always show in your engagement rate and several other factors.
Take your time to build a fanbase of people who are interested in what you have to say. If you do your marketing with consistency and offer real value, your followers will definitely patronize you or refer your business when the need arises. Get to work and stop being obsessed with numbers.
6. Use hashtags
Hashtags are like magnets that attract people outside your network to your content. They are not options in your posts, but a must. Hashtags can help you widen your reach and also organize your contents.
On Twitter, you can join conversations with hashtags. If the hashtag is related to your career, it will expose you to a huge number of people who are also interested in your profession. What better way there is to network online?
Using hashtags on Facebook will show up your posts in the search results of such hashtags. That is a free people reach if you understand the way post reach now works on Facebook.
With hashtags, you can find events, targeted followers, build your fanbase and give your posts a wider reach. Start using them today if you don’t do so already. Remember to use it wisely, do not #fill #all #your #words #with #hashtags #like #this #phrase.
7. Do not be too salesy
There are other ways you can sell on social media without having to push your products in the face of your audience every now and then. Know that you are not the only one offering that service or selling that product on your platform. You should instead show people why they should buy from you and not your competitors.
Remember, you are a professional, so, you must know how to be heard above the noise without raising your voice. You need only one strategy to attract your audience to buy from you – offer value.
Listen to their questions and answer them in your tips, image posters and blog posts. Offer eBooks, teach them, be nice and consistent. Let people know what you do, but do not sell the item, sell the value the item will offer the buyer if he patronizes you.
8. Be consistent
Consistency has to do with your branding and posting frequency.
Let your profile and timeline be recognizable at first glance. Brand your images with logo, use matching filters, and have a consistent voice. Also, your posting frequency should be well planned such that your audience will read or hear from you when they expect you to show up.
How to keep your branding consistent on social media
9. Do not post sporadically
You need to be around constantly for people to trust you enough to buy from you. If you only show up when you are running a promo or have new stocks, do not be surprised if no one looks your way.
Try to post as often as possible, even if it is once per day on all your social media accounts. If you are too busy to post daily, you may hire a personnel to be in charge or outsource your social media marketing.
10. Always use descriptions in your posts
Don’t just upload images and leave them without caption. Craft a compelling story around your photo and keep your audience engaged. You may even include a call to action to get them more involved in your campaign.
11. Do not make your timeline all about you
No one is really interested in your business, unless you have proved to them severally that your business is genuinely interested in them.
Avoid posting your personal photos and too many sales pitch on your timeline. You may create a behind-the-scene story about your business once in a while but do not make it about your personal interest, people are not interested. You will do well to create your own account separate from your business account and post to your satisfaction.
Take action with these 11 strategies and you will see yourself enjoying social media marketing while making cool returns on your efforts.
Do you have any strategy not included in the above list? Do share with us in the comments section.
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