In part 1 and part 2 of our Social Media Management Guide, we shared some of the best practices for engaging with your followers. But now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty — creating posts that command their attention. It’s important to know that building your online presence organically is so much more than the #MotivationMonday tweets you push once a week. It’s a combination of complete ingenuity and the close following of these tried-and-true tips:
OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA.
Make sure your social network icons on your homepage are easily visible and link to each social media platform. Better yet, install a plugin that showcases your social feeds directly on your site. Enable social sharing buttons on content pages (especially the blog) for easier sharing, and make sure they have targeted share text, @ tags, and share graphics. Speaking of graphics…
GET GRAPHIC.
Although intriguing post text and headlines are important for engagement and click-through, images, photos, and videos included within your post will help you stand out in the clutter and chaos of someone’s feed. Make sure you follow the right dimensions for images per social media network and don’t use a crazy amount of stock-looking photography. (A stock photo of a man smiling in a business suit with a big thumbs up will definitely make your post seem like a big phony). Social graphics should look and feel like your brand.
EMBRACE THE POWER OF HASHTAGS AND MENTIONS, AND GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT’S DUE.
When hashtags are trending (from #tbt to #nationaldonutday) try to use those hashtags in your posts (but only if they’re relevant). This gives your post a greater chance of being found and your brand a better chance of getting noticed, which in turn could lead to increased engagement and future leads.
If you’re highlighting another brand or person (any content that’s not yours), make sure to tag the person or brand. This will work in your favor a couple of ways:
- You’re giving deserved credit to that person or brand’s intellectual property.
- You’re letting that person or brand know that you loved their content so much you’re sharing it with your followers. That’s a huge compliment and in turn, could create future engagement and partnership.
- You’re potentially inserting yourself into their network by letting them know you exist. You’re getting your name out there.
BEING ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN’T MEAN PRODUCING NEW CONTENT 24/7.
Just because you need to maintain activity on social media regularly doesn’t mean you have to actually compose and create all the time. Follow industry leaders, news and trend sites, noisemakers, and brands your audience might be interested in and retweet them or share their Facebook posts when they post an interesting, relevant article, tip, etc. This is a very easy way to maintain consistent activity — just make sure to have a balance between your own original content/posts, and retweets and shares from around the web.
Combine these tips with our previous posts on social media customer service and avoiding social bloopers, and you will have social profiles worth following. Okay, we’ve officially told you everything we know. Just kidding, there’s way more where that came from. Find out what the paid social media management team at FoundSM can do for your business, and get in touch to get started.
