Social Media is the clear marketing tool of choice these days. With 31% of the global population using it, it provides access to a massive potential audience, but how do you get started, write content that people want to read and successfully engage with them?
These are the questions I found myself asking not that long ago. Having read a wealth of articles to help me improve my own Social Media skills for Business, I wanted to share the best advice I’ve come across to help you master the basics.
1. Choosing the Right Platforms
With so many Social Media platforms out there, how do you choose between them?
Which platforms are best for you depends on your business, what you want to achieve and the type of content you can share. Facebook can help establish your brand, LinkedIn can help promote your professional credentials and connect you with other Businesses, Twitter lets you share in-the-moment updates and content to get quick feedback.Instagram and SnapChat are also hugely popular for Visual Marketing, so give them a try if you have tangible products to showcase or can share your company brand or philosophy through images.
Each platform has its own uses and will require a slightly different approach to successfully grow your business profile. The links below give some excellent further reading.
Related:
How to Choose the Best Social Media Platform for Your Business
2. Finding Content
Once you’ve picked your platforms, the next big question is… What on earth do you post?
Here are my top tips to get you started:
- Post News, Reviews or Updates about your Business or Products
- Follow influencers for topics relevant to your business. Repost anything interesting, putting your own unique spin on it
- Read online magazines or news services that deal with topics related to your business
- Use services like Feedly , Flipboard , TrendSpottr or StumbleUpon to find content based on keywords
- Search blogging sites like Medium for interesting articles
Mix up the content your post to keep your audience interested. Try posting the odd inspirational quote or amusing image to show you’ve got a human side!
If you’re not sure where to begin, try following a few of the top 100 Digital Marketing Influencers. They post a wealth of articles about finding interesting content, so you’ll never be left short.
Related:
Content Curation Tools: The Ultimate List
3. Get Creating!
Sharing content from other sources gets you started, but you need to start creating your own as soon as possible. The simplest way to do that is to start a blog .
It seems a little daunting at first, but with a little guidance and practice, anyone can do it. Pick topics your target audience will relate to. Write something informative and give it your own perspective, instead of rehashing other people’s work. Set yourself a schedule and deliver content regularly to get yourself in the swing.
The more you write, the easier it will become…
Related:
These articles from Jeff Bullas , the #1 Social Media Marketing influencer, will get your creative juices flowing:
4. Quality Control
Don’t settle for Good. Be Excellent!
Every article you read states the importance of posting high-quality and engaging content. Take time to think about what you are trying to say, how it is written and how interesting your audience will find it. Does it makes the right impression about you and your business? Try asking friends to read it and give you some honest feedback.
Also, make sure it is well written. Nothing is more off-putting than a poorly written or grammatically incorrect article. Get someone to proofread your work, use a tool like Grammarly to check for mistakes or, at the very least, spell check it!
Related:
10 Secrets to Creating Engaging Content
The 9 Ingredients That Make Great Content
5. A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
Now you’ve written some content, how do you get people to take notice and read it?
Buffer’s study of 1 million tweets found that images were the no.1 factor in driving more traffic, so include some eye-catching visuals !
Use the best quality images you can that stand out or help clearly identify your brand. Try Canva if you fancy designing visual content yourself. There are also plenty of sites offering free images for commercial use or, if you’re happy to part with some cash, check out thepremium sites for the very best images out there.
Related:
10 Types of Visual Social Media That Get Shared Like Crazy
6 Powerful Reasons Why You should include Images in your Marketing
6. Good Etiquette
Just like real life, Social Media has an etiquette you need to follow if you want to gain credibility and trust. It’s not rocket science. Be polite, thank people who take the time to show an interest and engage them in a friendly and personal manner.
A word of caution, using automated responses is often frowned upon, so take the time to be as personal as possible with your interactions.
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7. Managing Multiple Accounts
It’s an obvious point, but the more accounts you have, the harder they are to manage. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a Social Media Team (I wish!), it can be a daunting and extremely time-consuming prospect on your own.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of tools out there to help you. HootSuite and Buffer are good places to start. Both are well-established and easy-to-use platforms for managing and posting to multiple Social Media accounts at the same time.
Most of the tools available also have advanced options you’ll need to understand as you get more experienced. I’ll be covering some of those in my next article.
Quick Tip
If you’re using the Chrome browser check out the Hootsuite hootlet extension. It’s great for posting online articles in a couple of clicks.
Related:
Top 10 Tools for Managing Your Social Media Accounts
8. Automation
Look at you go! You’re working it like a Pro, but it’s starting to take up all your spare time and you’re freaking out! How can you keep the momentum going, but more efficiently?
If you spend time following influencers, it’s clear from the volume of articles they post that they’re not sat at a keyboard all day long. So what are they doing and how? Simple. They’re using Automation tools to do the bulk of the hard work.
To get started with automation, I’d suggest allocating some time at a convenient point in the day (Over your cup of tea in the morning or on the daily commute) and schedule a number of posts to go out throughout the day. Then sit back, relax and watch the magic happen!
A word of warning, don’t become a slave to automation. It’s still vital for building trust to engage and react in a personal way as often as you can.
Related:
9. Posting Frequency
Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?
This Tweeter posts too much , this Tweeter posts too little , THIS Tweeter posts juuuust right….
The point is that there’s a balance and the Social Media crowd can be extremely fickle! Post too much and people tire of your constant stream of updates, losing interest. Post too little and you don’t seem committed enough to be worth following.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer. You need to find a level you can live with and manage, that keeps your audience engaged. Get yourself into a routine of posting at least a few times a day and, ideally, at similar times. People will quickly learn what to expect from you and when, so can look out for your posts at the right times. The same goes for writing a blog. Try to be consistent, post regularly and at similar intervals to set your audience’s expectations correctly.
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10. It’s all in the Timing
As well as posting regularly, it’s also important to post at the right time . Post at the busiest times of day and the largest number of people are online to see it, but it can also get lost in the ocean of other posts.
According to Buffer’s research, the best time globally to get the most engagements for a Tweet is 2am. Sure, you can use automation to post that late at night (or maybe you’re a night owl?), but the best times for you to post will depend on a number of factors such as the age of your target audience, how often and when they access Social Media.
Try scheduling posts at different times of day and see what gets the most attention. This will help you fine-tune the best times to engage your audience.
Quick Tips
Posting just before the hour tends to get more views as people often check Social Media before going into meetings. Posting while people are commuting in the morning/evening and over lunchtimes will also get more interest.
It’s also worth mentioning timezones. If you’re a UK Company targeting a US audience, make sure you factor in the time difference!
Related:
Best Times of Day to Post On Social Media According to 16 Studies
Main Takeaways
- Try various sources to find interesting content
- Start writing your own content asap
- Use quality images to attract readers
- Automate to save time and effort
- Consider the frequency and timing of posts
- Follow good etiquette!
Other Useful Resources
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Ed Solman
enqore Founder and Director
Entrepreneur and Blogger. Passionate about helping people and businesses develop and grow. Daredevil sportsbike enthusiast.
