Ten years ago, it wasn’t common to see businesses on social media platforms. Now, customers expect to find you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
You know you need to put effort into social media marketing, but it isn’t as easy as it may seem. Managing your brand’s social media presence requires not only crafting relevant content and posting regularly but also responding to comments and monitoring your online presence.
Some posts may take off and get hundreds of likes and shares while others fall flat. Sound familiar?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or struggling to point your social media efforts in the right direction, this guide is for you.
This straightforward social media checklist goes over five tasks you can master in no time to avoid missing a beat.
1.) Monitor Brand Mentions
Social media is all about creating conversations and sharing opinions and ideas.
Make sure you have a good system in place to monitor notifications and mentions across your channels.
Check at least daily for customer concerns, major new followers, and fan shout-outs.
Respond to brand mentions as soon as possible to build your reputation for excellent customer service.
People who love your brand will feel appreciated.
People who have a problem with your product or service can give you insight into a problem that needs to be addressed. This is also a chance to change someone’s mind about your brand!
2.) Engage Your Audience
Save the one-sided sales pitch for your website. Social media isn’t about selling your business; it’s about engaging with your audience and the community at large.
Getting attention on social media requires having a conversation or an exchange of ideas. Make it a point to interact with several profiles every day and occasionally engage in widespread forms of engagement.
Even replying to a few comments a day can go a long way toward building your reputation and gaining customer loyalty.
After all, a comment is usually a sign that someone loves your content and it’s important to reciprocate.
- Here are some ideas for engagement you can try:
- Conduct a survey or add a poll.
- Respond to comments.
- Request user-generated content.
- Ask a question.
- Share or retweet content.
- Play a game or offer a contest.
- Showcase customers or employees.
3.) Have a Content Strategy
You won’t get far on social media without a good strategy.
Start by identifying your audience. How much do they earn? How old are they? What’s their level of education? Depending on your industry, you may have several target audiences, each in a different stage of life with different needs.
For example, a home builder’s audience may include first-time buyers, move-up buyers, empty nesters, and investors.
Each audience or persona may respond to very different messages.
Your content strategy can include different types of content, social media platforms, and messages to make sure you’re reaching all of your customers.
Developing a content strategy may take a bit of time, but it will make your marketing and engagement efforts easier — and more effective!
After identifying your audience, consider your own goals:
If you’re selling a product online, you’ll want to share plenty of photos of your products in action and pictures of customers showing off the goods.
If you’re more focused on customer service, you’ll probably want to share tips and company updates.
4.) Share Content on a Schedule
It’s easy to get bogged down with social media. How can you share content several times a day across several channels and keep yourself sane?
The secret is scheduling your content.
There are many platforms you can use to organize and schedule your posts across all of your channels. By planning everything ahead of time, you can focus on finding and creating quality content for the week or month ahead.
Scheduling also makes it easier to stay focused and within your strategy. You’ll find it much easier to share a range of content with this approach, including articles, videos, infographics, and excellent photos.
5.) Follow Influencers & Brands
Social media influencers can be a great source of recognition for your brand. If you notice an influencer following your profile, return the favor and start to engage. You can even try to attract the attention of influencers in your industry by promoting their posts that offer value to your followers.
It’s also helpful to follow other brands that complement your niche. Don’t be afraid to share the spotlight!
With this simple 5-item checklist, you can put your social media efforts to better use to enjoy greater brand recognition, higher sales, more affordable lead generation, and much more.
