How to Perk Up Your Social Media Efforts

​Are you posting more but getting less from your efforts?  As a small business marketer or owner, you only have so much time and resources. Explore the eight questions below to see how you can increase your social media impact.  

​Eight Questions you should ask  

1) What is your goal for your Social Media efforts?
Take a step back (or grab a cup of coffee) and remember why you started doing social media in the first place.
What did you want to accomplish? For example, a new healthcare practice might be trying to grow awareness and interest. An established service business may be more interested in engaging existing customers for referrals and repeat business.
Your goals could include:

• Building awareness
• Generating Leads
• Converting more leads to sales
• Quickly responding to customer questions
• Engaging existing customers
• Creating upsell opportunities

Tip: It is better to focus on one or two goals and do them very well than to dilute your efforts by trying to do too much.
 
2) Do you know how well you are doing?  
If you already have metrics in place, review how well you’ve done so far and make the needed adjustments. If not, here are a few example measures that might be helpful:

3) Are you reaching the right people?
The businesses that experience the most success with social media have a clearly defined target market. Think about who your ideal customers are and what would interest them.  For example, a gift shop surveyed their customers and found that they were interested in the locations where the products are made.  The shop began posting fun facts, short videos of landmarks, interesting places and the people they met on their buying trips. The result - likes and sharing increased. 

The key is to build followers that are truly interested in your product or brand. It helps to have someone in mind and feel like you are talking to them when creating posts.
 
4) Do you have a content plan?
Don’t have a content strategy or plan? Planning your themes, channels and posts for the next six months is well worth the time.
Planning and gathering ideas and images in one place will save time when creating posts. In addition, checking the month to month calendar will make sure you don’t miss important seasonal or holiday activities. There are many fun but little known holidays and it’s hard to keep track of them unless you have it on your plan.
In addition to regular holidays, there are lesser known, specialized, and sometimes even wacky days. For example, the fourth Saturday in October is Make a Difference Day.  Seems like a great day to celebrate if your organization does good work for the community.

If your plan feels overwhelming, check to see how your channels are working for you. 
Which channels are the best fit for both your ideal customer and your business?
Maybe you need to try a new channel to better connect --  and delete those that aren't working. If you haven’t posted on Instagram or Twitter in three months, think about why and determine whether you should continue.  

You do not have to be everywhere. Formulate a plan and use what works best for you and your business.
 
5) Have you offered to guest post?
This is a way to get your name/brand out and extend your reach to people beyond your normal circle. It is also a way to set up "backlinks" that help with search engine optimization.
It's a popular tactic, but it takes work. Before you ask for the opportunity to post on someone’s blog, do your research to make your addition relevant, advantageous and complementary to the blog host's businesses. And be prepared to follow through on the opportunity if they agree.
 
6)Are you engaging?  
Are you asking questions?  See what types of questions your target market responds to. Facebook has made it harder for business pages, but engagement still is key to extending your reach and having more people see your posts.
Listen -- if you get comments, reward them with a reply! 
Keep experimenting to see what works best. Monitor which posts and topics get the most shares and likes and use them as a model to create more like them.
 
7) Can you create “Evergreen” content?
Evergreen content  is not tied to trends and can be reused or repurposed on multiple channels.
Examples of evergreen content include:

• Answers to frequently asked questions from your customers or followers
• Industry tips, "how to" explanations or advice  (like back to school tips or how to change a tire)
• Explanations of common industry concepts that may be confusing for readers (customer success vs customer service)
• Here is an example from our blog 

8) Can you add a fun factor? 
Show that your company or brand is made of real people. Tell stories, show what’s behind the scenes and seek to connect on an emotional level. One way to do this is by describing any unusual traditions, people or company celebrations.

• Does your company participate or have events that benefit the community? Show how you and/or your employees help make a difference. (Then you can celebrate Make a Difference Day!)
• Do you have a fun side?  It’s okay to show the lighter aspects of your brand. The days of perfect video are over – you can show outtakes, improvisations and mistakes as well as achievements.

In conclusion, building a social media presence or brand takes time and effort. Through a focused, consistent and discipline approach, social media can be a valuable tool in your marketing toolbox that drives your business towards success.  If after giving social media a good try you find that it's not paying dividends, your business might be better served by focusing your marketing resources on more effective tactics. Don't feel bad -- there are many ways to market your business and you can still use social media in support of your other efforts. 

If you need help determining which marketing tactics work best for your business, please contact us for a  consultation to see how we can assist you. 

Thanks for reading!