Social media has emerged as a significant business tool. Today, almost every business has a social media presence, but not every one of them leverages its power. Businesses need to have a proven strategy to make the most of their social media presence.
Act smart as you plan to design your social media strategy. This is essential to stay ahead of the competition because every single day new updates are introduced. In this article today, we will explain 15 effective ways to build your social media presence.
What is Social Media Presence?
Social media presence refers to the visibility of a brand on social media platforms. It also refers to the connection a brand builds with the community. However, most brands think that social media presence means creating social media profiles and posting links to their blog posts and videos.
If your social media platforms are not getting regular engagement and helping you build a positive image of your brand then you are lacking in social media presence. That’s why it is essential for companies to invest time and effort in developing their social media presence.
15 Effective Ways to Build Your Social Media Presence
1. Set SMART Goals
Begin by asking yourself why you are on social media. The answer to that question can help you create SMART goals for building your social media presence. For instance, aiming to increase your Twitter engagement by 20% by the end of the next quarter is a SMART goal.
Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound are not only easy to achieve but can also help you improve the growth of your business and track an employee's accountability towards that goal. Since these goals can be measured easily, you will know of your progress at every step of the way.
2. Know Your Target Audience
Keep in mind that your target audience cannot include everyone on social media platforms. Your audience can be anyone from prospective customers to influencers and industry players, but it must be defined.
Once you have defined your audience, you can decide which social media platform you need to be active on in order to connect with them. It will also help you figure out what kind of content to post and how to introduce yourself on your profile. Social commerce is rising as one of the top channels for brands to reach out and communicate effectively with their consumers. It is important that you know who your target audience is and create a clear and consistent messaging across all your social media platforms.
3. Be Human in Your Interactions
When it comes to social media interactions, it is important not to come across as a robot with zero personality who only talks in a professional tone. Nowadays, brands talk to potential customers as one would talk to a friend. This friendliness can help your potential customers feel comfortable talking to you.
Another way to show off the human side of your company is to share the pictures of your social media team online. It would ensure your audience that the social media profile they have been interacting with is run by people just like them.
4. Build a Community
Your goal should not be to just gain followers but to form a connection with them. In order to build a community of people who like or are interested in your products, you will have to regularly interact with them.
There are different ways to build a community online and all of them involve interaction. Anytime someone asks you a question, be sure to give them a detailed answer. It is also important to interact with posts praising your products instead of just reposting them.
5. Promote Your Social Media Accounts
People visiting your website should not have to look you up on social media platforms. And they won’t have to if you include icons that link to your social media accounts on your website. It will not only promote your social media accounts but also make it easier for people to find them.
You can also include links to your social media accounts in your emails to gain more followers. These promotions can also help you build connections as people from your email list will end up becoming your follower on social media and will be able to learn more about your brand.
6. Post Interactive Content
Brands that regularly post engaging content are more likely to become popular among their audience. You can also gain popularity by posting interactive video content. You can conduct games and award a discount to the winner.
You can also conduct polls to figure out what your audience’s thoughts are on a certain topic. People are more likely to engage with such content. And if you keep posting interactive content, your audience will keep coming back for more.
7. Hold Giveaways
One of the quickest ways to gain attention on social media platforms is to hold giveaways. Regular giveaways can help you gain new followers and get tons of interactions. You can also use giveaways to generate more leads by accepting a purchase as an extra entry.
When it comes to giveaways, you don’t always have to go big. People would be happy even if they can win a small household appliance or a 50% discount on their favorite item. If you know your audience, you will know just what to offer them.
8. Post Consistently
Consistency is the key to success in social media marketing. If you post irregularly, your audience will quickly lose interest in your profile. The algorithms of social media platforms are also cruel to those who don’t post consistently.
In order to make your social media presence noticeable, you should post high-quality content on a regular basis. You can also use a social media scheduler to stay consistent with your posting.
9. Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags can help you reach out to your target audience, but it is important to use them in the right way. A social media account that adds irrelevant hashtags to its posts will quickly lose credibility in the eyes of its target audience.
Try and limit your posts to one hashtag. It is also important to use hashtags that are relevant to your brand and to the content you are posting. You don’t have to put every trending hashtag to your posts, especially when it’s not even relevant to your content.
10. Join the Trends
There’s a new trend on the internet every week, something you can use to your benefit. Check out the latest trends and see which one you can fit into your social media strategy. If you make use of a trending topic in your posts, you will be able to attract more people easily.
11. Be Socially Aware
The internet does not forgive silence and it does not forget indifference. So, in order to survive on social media, be socially aware and don’t offend anyone by posting controversial content. If a big event happens, you can post a statement or stop your regular activities to show your audience that you care.
12. Don’t Forget SEO
To most people, SEO is only relevant to websites, but in truth, it is also needed on social media. Apart from hashtags, you can also use keywords in your social media profile bios to attract your target audience.
13. Treat Each Platform Differently
From Twitter to Facebook and Instagram to Pinterest, every social media platform has its own posting rules. So, when creating your social media content, don’t treat every platform the same way. Design your content according to the requirements of a social media platform.
14. Use Accessibility Features
In your excitement of creating new content, don’t forget to make it easier for hard of hearing and visually impaired people. Captions and alt text can help you make your content accessible to everyone. It will also increase engagements on your social media profiles.
15. Try New Features
Social media platforms are always experimenting with new features. Instead of being scared of the changes, embrace them by trying them out as soon as possible. For instance, Twitter’s “Spaces” and Youtube’s “Shorts” are some of the recent features that can help you connect with a larger audience.
Conclusion
Your social media presence should make your brand known to your target audience. By following the methods mentioned above, you can build a strong social media presence for your brand and build your loyal online community over time.
