18 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Presence
The advent of social media networking sites is changing the way businesses employ their marketing strategies. Despite the efficacy of conventional marketing such as outdoor advertising, boosting social media presence helps in brand awareness, expansion, and lead conversions. Experts say social networking users will surge to three billion in 2021. With that figure in mind, tapping into different social networks will diversify advertising tactics. Here are 18 ways you can amp up your social media page, designs, and ideas. While these tips are categorized according to various social networks, most of them apply to all social media sites.
1. Know when to post
SproutSocial says 89 percent of marketers use Facebook to market their brands. This is why marketers should never miss huge opportunities on Facebook. To make the most out of your post, make sure you know what time to post it. You want to capture the right audience at the right time so your post gets more likes and shares. Checking Facebook Insights is one way to monitor your followers’ engagement with your previous posts.
2. Post relevant and curated content
Facebook is a cornucopia of blogs, videos, images, and any content you can think of. It’s vital to post content that appeals to your target market. Instead of overtly promoting your brand, offer value instead. Either post original content or curated content from industry experts with excellent graphics to catch attention.
3. Engage with your audience
Never ignore the comments section. This is one way you can engage with your audience. Replying to Facebook comments shows that you value their presence. In turn, this will bolster your reputation and build brand authority.
4. Post high-quality photos
Posting high-quality photos is a must in all social networks to improve social media presence. And since Instagram is a visual-based platform, there is absolutely no point in distributing low-quality, pixelated images. Ensure that you only post stellar graphic designs that make you stand out from the competition.
5. Leverage hashtags
While almost all social networks rely on hashtags, Instagram is the biggest channel that thrives on them. Make your hashtags relevant. You may also use viral similar hashtags to make it easier for users to search for your post.
6. Organize contests and giveaways
One way to increase engagement and gain affinity from your audience is through social media contests and giveaways. Create contests that will require posting and tagging your social media page. That way, you can gain marketing mileage through user-generated content.
7. Engage your audience through Twitter polls
Twitter is mostly a text-based social platform. Try to create a buzz online by running Twitter polls. See what the trending topics are or ask users feedback about your business.
8. Host Twitter chats
A Twitter chat is a feature that invites interested users to talk about a particular topic at a set time. Once again, hashtags are imperative when running Twitter chats. These chats are similar to networking events, except they’re virtual! Hosting Twitter chats is a perfect way to meet likeminded people and expand your network.
9. Pin and repin content
Curating social media designs on Pinterest is a great way to promote your products. But as with any other thing in life, always do it in moderation. Users might deem your Pinterest account as spammy if you’re overly promoting your products. Aside from pinning content with killer graphics, try to repin others’ content as well.
10. Divide posts by interests
It can be tedious wading through Pinterest to get what you’re looking for. As a brand, you want your audience to search for your posts with ease. That said, Pinterest has a unique feature that allows users to classify their pins into various “interests.” This way, your audience can quickly type in the keywords that they’re looking for and land on your pin.
11. Optimize your headline
SEO is an essential factor when thinking of social media ideas for marketing. When you make your content SEO-friendly by using the right keywords, this increases searchability. And since LinkedIn is mostly text-based, you want to optimize your LinkedIn profile to boost online presence.
12. Publish articles within LinkedIn
Use the LinkedIn Publishing Platform to distribute valuable articles online. The advantage of using this platform instead of sharing blogs from third-party channels is that you get more visibility. A pro tip would be to set your profile settings to public so any LinkedIn user can read your articles.
13. Join related groups
This tip applies to all social media channels. Joining groups that are related to your niche or industry enables you to find likeminded people. On LinkedIn for example, you can filter users via company, title, keywords, and more. This allows you to engage and directly message those that are of interest. Overall, when joining social media groups and pages, the most important thing is to engage with other users.
14. Don’t ignore invitations from people you don’t know
If you’re aiming to expand your network and enhance social media presence, don’t ignore invites from people you don’t know. They could bring many opportunities to grow your business. Send them a message and see if you can flourish the virtual connection further.
15. Think of intriguing topics
Reddit is another social network that dwells on written communication. Reddit users engage by commenting, sharing feedback or opinions, or upvoting. Try to think of an intriguing topic that will surely compel Reddit users to comment.
16. Follow guidelines
Every social network has guidelines to start with. Follow guidelines so you won’t have to deal with issues that can hurt your brand later on. For instance, Reddit has stringent rules. Some subreddits allow images, while some don’t allow links. Make sure you read through every subreddit’s rules to increase Karma points.
YouTube
17. Customize your thumbnails
One way to make your social media page stand out is by customizing your thumbnails. Using your brand colors and icons will differentiate you from the competition. On YouTube, users can quickly identify your profile through personalized thumbnails. Make sure that the thumbnails are consistent and accurately say what the videos are all about.
18. Direct users through cards
YouTube cards are pop-up cards that direct users to your other videos or playlists. Retaining your audience is already an achievement. However, increasing user watch time is a grand achievement! Make sure you include YouTube cards that direct them to one of your similar videos.
