7 Tips for #NationalSocialMediaDay

Social media is a part of our personal lives AND our business lives…it’s hard to even keep up. Here at The Marketing Posse, we are very much in the social media business. Through thoughtful strategy (and fun work sessions!), we develop content, grow audiences, monitor performance and manage engagement for our partner’s social accounts. Through social media, we can help businesses large and small, engage with their target audience, build credibility and be thought leaders in their space.

Because of our passion for all things social, it only seemed right to send out a quick note in honor of this Sunday’s #NationalSocialMediaDay. Keeping up with best practices can be rough so we hope the tips below provide you with some new ideas and inspire you to get social. And remember, we are in your corner, should you need any help. As a small business, we truly believe that sometimes outsourcing efforts like social media, can help business owners and managers take back valuable time to spend on other areas of growth. So, without further ado, below are 7 Social Media tips to consider.

1. Create clear and consistent posts with key brand messages
   Decide on 4-6 things you want to be known for and structure your content and messaging around the things that matter most. Every communication should be building to something.
2. Be where your audience is
   The social space is not a one size fits all. Carefully evaluate where your customer base is so you can be in the right places with the right messages. Understand the communication differences in the platforms. We love this graphic which uses a doughnut analogy to explain each platform
3. Get the basics right

• Complete your profile
  The description sections of each social platform are not a one size fits all. They each have different character counts, and for some, like Twitter, you want to make sure to use keywords and relevant hashtags, so you show up when people search those terms. Consider adding call to actions to your business bios, when appropriate, and when you add your website link- instead of using your homepage URL, try the “Contact Us” page or a product page you are trying to drive traffic to.
• Make sure your images are sized properly.
  There is nothing that screams, unprofessional, more than a social media header image, profile pic, or post that is distorted, pixelated, cropped incorrectly or stretched out. These things keep us up at night. Good news is, they are easy to fix. Make sure you know what each platform’s suggested sizes are. These change often, so it is a best practice to check every couple of months to make sure you have the most recent dimensions. Here is a link to the latest social media sizes. 
• Tag people, places and use hashtags that expand your audience and are relevant to the content. Link to your website and other relevant pages wherever possible.

4. Earn ratings from your top fans
   Asking for reviews from your best customers is a great way to build credibility. Lots of consumers use Facebook and Google to look up businesses for reviews. You can send an email, create a social media campaign, ask them in person, or create a pop-up ad asking for a review when they buy your product/service online. For Facebook reviews, make sure your Facebook review tab is visible (and activated) in your settings menu (under “general” heading). Keep in mind to respond in a timely manner to all reviewers. Another important online vehicle for reviews is Google. To ensure you are getting positive reviews, verify your business on Google. Then make sure to rate positive Google reviews as “helpful”. While Facebook has likes, Google has reviews that can be labeled “helpful” and those will often be the first reviews people read. If you get any less than stellar reviews, make sure to resolve them as soon as possible in a positive way. Lastly, don’t be afraid to share positive reviews and testimonials that you receive on all your social platforms.
5. Build your audience by engaging
   Each time someone interacts with your brand on social media, overall awareness of your brand is increased. When a person likes your Facebook page or one of your posts, their friends and followers, as well as your brand’s, will all see that engagement, and give you more visibility to a larger audience. You can boost your engagement by offering incentives for fans that tag you in a post. An example would be to offer a discount off the bill if they take a picture of their food and tag your restaurant.
6. Measure performance and use your insights
   Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all provide free access to your business page insights. Some of the data will include audience demographics, times that your audience is online, professional titles, follower count, and engagement statistics. Understanding what types of posts that your audience engages with or doesn’t engage with is important so that you can make sure that you give them more of the types of posts that they like in the future. If your audience is online mostly at 8am then that is the time you should be scheduling your posts, as opposed to 3pm. You get the picture!
7. Follow The Marketing Posse on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
   Click the links below and follow us so we can keep the conversation going!

   It is no secret that social media is here to stay even though it changes every day. With the right oversight and management, you can successfully leverage your social platforms to accomplish a variety of business and marketing objectives. I hope you have found the above tips helpful and wish you much social success!