Having a social media presence, no matter how small, is a must for all businesses today. While brand awareness has a lot to do with social media presence, small to medium-sized businesses can be social media stars as well by using the same principles that bigger brands swear by.
Here are some of the best examples:
Have a personality
One of the biggest mistakes that brands make is not giving their social media presence a personality. Coming off as a robotic social media corporate account will not only come off as lazy marketing, but it also goes against the trend of transparency.
Whether you run an account for a WordPress website design company in Los Angeles or an artisan pretzel shop in New York, giving the account a human “voice” will make the brand seem more real and transparent. So, if you’re not getting as much engagement on your social media accounts as you would like, take a look at how you engage with followers and see if there’s not enough to make it seem like a real person behind the computer.
Handle negative feedback carefully
While some brands have found success in providing witty or sarcastic replies to negative feedback, that may not have the same effect for your brand. For this reason, make sure that you handle negative feedback carefully. Don’t fight fire with fire. Instead, listen carefully and respond in a professional manner. If it’s a public post, reply to the post before transferring the exchange to a private conversation. At the same time, give people a human response instead of the usual, obviously prepared spiel.
However, not all negative feedback should be engaged. If the post or comment violates the rules of your online community or your company principles, you can choose not to respond to the comment, delete/hide it, or report it to the network. Such examples are comments with discriminatory, indecent, or inappropriate content.
Make a schedule
Brands have to post multiple times a day in order to maintain their social media presence. Doing this manually is a tedious task, especially for small brands who don’t have a social media manager, which is why there are tools that can help companies manage social media efficiently.
With a social media management tool, brands can schedule their posts days or even weeks in advance, which can be set to post at the most optimal times of the day. If you’re handling multiple social media accounts across various platforms, a management tool can also help you optimize each post without having to go from site to site, making sure that each account is consistent and active.
Pay attention to photos and videos
Brands who post meaningful videos and photos get much more customer engagement than those who don’t or don’t do it enough. To be a more visual account, post photos and videos of employees, events, customers, and infographics and other shareable posts. Photos and videos typically cost you almost nothing compared to other marketing material.
While social media is just one of the best marketing tools that brands can use, it is also the most powerful among the bunch. To improve your brand’s social media presence, consider adopting these strategies.
