Many real estate experts will tell you the top three words one needs to consider when buying property and having success: location, location, location. As a business owner, instead of location, you will find most of your success comes from two words: Social Media. Social media is what connects your brand to the consumer. Aside from physical interaction on a phone or person-to-person, social media is a huge link to your customer. Sure, they can look your website up online or do a Google search to find you, but it’s on a social media platform that you’ll find a consumer values the most. There, they can find up-to-date promotions, real-time events, reviews of your products/services, directions to your physical location, contact information and much more. Because of these traits, social media is a must. Period.
As we dive into social media this week, here are our Top 5 Steps to consider when approaching social media for your business:
1. Keep it Simple – There are a ton of social media platforms out there, but that doesn’t mean you need to be on all of them. Pick one or two and go at them strong.
2. Pick a Platform – What social media platform are your ideal customers on the most? Are they men or women? Are you targeting millennials, GenX/Y, Baby Boomers, etc.? We found this great website on demographics per platform that might help you determine which platform(s) you should consider: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/#infographic
3. Strategize – Once you decide on the social media platform, put together a strategy on what you will post and when you will post. It can be as simple as showcasing a product on Monday, a service on Wednesday, and a fun post on Friday. Many of the social media platforms provide scheduling options for posts, so when you have a few minutes of free time, schedule your posts ahead.
4. Assess Your Engagement – As your posts received engagement, take note of ones that get a so-so response and those that hit home runs. Then work more posts into your social media strategy that are similar to the popular ones and phase out the so-so ones.
5. Promote Your Page – Once you figure out what posts are getting some great engagement, play around with creating ads. For example we love the boost and ad features in Facebook. Now there are several different (and valid) opinions on if boosts work better than ads or vice versa; however, we’ve found that either one can work depending on the product or service you offer. Whichever one you choose, please make sure you utilize the targeting features. You’ll even find that the cost is considerably cheaper than more traditional ad options such as billboards and radio spots.
Speaking of billboards and radio spots, we’ll tackle those in the next few weeks. In the mean time, take the next few days and assess what you’re doing (or not doing) on social media and get strategizing.