How is your social media marketing? Good? Bad? A bit in the middle? Somewhere in outer space? Regardless of your proficiency with social media marketing, here are some general tips to help you improve.
Variety is the spice of life
It’s a simple one, but a useful one. If you just publish the same content on both your Twitter and Facebook, for example, then what reasons do your Facebook followers have to follow you on Twitter and vice-versa? You don’t need to post completely different content to your different social networks, but it’s important to change it up, at least a little bit. Post snippets from Instagram or Pinterest onto your Facebook or Twitter and you’ll entice your followers to find you on other social platforms.
Show your appreciation
A lot of people think that being successful on Twitter and other social media is all about the number of followers you have, but for a business that’s not necessarily the case. It’s more important to have a smaller number of devoted fans or followers than a huge number of disinterested ones. A great way to go about achieving this is by showing your appreciation for your followers and fans. By building relationships with your core fans, you can make sure that you’re growing an audience who really appreciate your work. Here are some suggestions for how to make your followers feel appreciated:
Facebook: Post a series of posts that highlight those fans of yours that are doing great work, whether it’s in your field or another. People love recognition for their hard work!
Twitter: Make sure to retweet you followers’ tweets and choose a tweet of the day from your followers. They’ll be happy that you’re giving them exposure!
Google+ and LinkedIn: Link to your chosen followers’ profiles or posts and explain why you think they’re worth following.
Steer your peers (to success!)
As we mentioned in the point above, building positive relationships with your peers and followers is a surefire way to get more people noticing you and your business. If you have a reputation for generosity and friendliness, it goes without saying that you’ll see much, much more business than the alternative. An especially good way to go about doing this (as well as genuinely helping other businesses and individuals, which is always good), is by helping your peers succeed in their fields and endeavours. It’s very simple and doesn’t even require that much work on your part. Three easy things you can do are:
– If you see something one of your peers can use, tell them! Give them a private message or link them to a piece of information you think might help them. It’ll give them a great impression of you and make them more likely to reciprocate in the future.
– If you have a decent network of connections and associates, you can help your peers grow their own networks! Always keep an eye out for people who your peers might benefit from knowing, and introduce them where you can.
– When your peers do something like publish an article or another piece of content, promote them! Of course, you need to make sure that you mention them directly so that everyone can see, but it’s a great way to give them exposure and build a better relationship with them.
These are some more general ways to improve your social media marketing; next week we’ll be looking at ways to improve using specific platforms. As always, remember that if you have any questions regarding social media or social media management, Pogo Digital are always happy to help.
