Build your social media presence

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and more allow companies to interact with past, current and future customers, spread the word about products and services, and connect authentically and emotionally with followers. 

However, just having a social media presence isn’t enough. Businesses must step up their social media marketing and actively seek followers, interactions and engagement to grow their social media presence. 

Check out our top 5 tips this month to help you grow your following and overall presence. 

1. Grow your social presence

If you are new to social media and haven’t yet created an account on any platforms or you’re unsure of which ones to invest time into, take a moment to think about who you would like to network with.  

Ask yourself  “who is in a position to help me advance my business?”. 

Research which social media platforms these people are using most. From a business perspective,  LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram are the most common. 

We also recommend that you check out what  your competitors are doing on social media too.  Look at which platforms they’re using and the type of content they are posting.  Make note of which type of posts get the most engagement - particularly comments and shares. 

Choosing one or two platforms, you can go ahead and create a business page. Begin building your network by inviting people you already know to connect with your page, such as family, friends, community members, employees, business contacts and clients.

2. Create and post engaging content

Your goal is to create a community of like-minded people who interact with you and share your content with their networks. Common content ideas are: how-to videos, blog posts, surveys, competitions and giveaways, industry and market insights. Keep your writing concise and reader-friendly, with short sentences and paragraphs. Avoid jargon or too many buzzwords that may polarise the reader.

Social platforms have insights that allow you to keep track of what content is getting the most attention, so you can add more of it!  

Pro Tip: Insights are a great way to understand your audience better and provide valuable information. 

3. Be helpful and show your value

Self-promotion on social media can be off-putting and could ultimately push people away. Instead, think of ways to be helpful and showcase the value of your product/service. Use your social media pages as proof of why potential customers should choose you over your competitors such as sharing positive reviews, case studies and imagery of recent work completed or tips on how to streamline or improve processes etc.

4. Quality over quantity

Organic growth of your network takes time and consistent effort. Focus on the quality of your social interactions, not the number of followers. 

Optimise your profiles.  Making sure your pages have all the right information filled in and are consistent in their branding is key; a half-completed Facebook page with poor imagery isn’t going to get much traction. It’s important that anyone stumbling across your page instantly recognises who you are, and thinks ‘these guys look professional and know what they’re doing’. If you need a bit of help, there are plenty of how-to guides online with step-by-step tips on how to optimise for particular platforms.

Further build your presence by following and engaging with other social pages that are relevant to your business through commenting and sharing their content, a bit of ‘I’ll scratch you back, if you scratch mine” theory. 

Pro Tip: Be picky about who you choose to follow; is the account active? By following and sharing their content, would they do the same for you? Choose to follow or like a page because you relate to their message, not because you want another follower.

5. Good etiquette

Online networking etiquette means presenting yourself in a professional manner, responding diplomatically to criticism and being a good person - the kind of person we all want to do business with.  Bragging, complaining or venting in high doses turns readers off and you could lose followers and credibility. 

Pro Tip: If negative comments arise for any reason, acknowledge them and the person but take the high road, respond respectfully and bow out.  

Another important consideration is not to push the hard sell.  If there’s one thing to keep in mind when posting on social media, it’s this: people do not like to be sold to. Think about how you feel in a day spa getting a massage and the sales assistants start to tell you all about next month’s facial specials! Or you get a cold call trying to sell you something and you wish you hadn’t taken the call. It can feel intrusive and can put you off interacting with that company again.

The same goes on social media. As we mentioned before, there are more ways than one to say something, and the same goes for selling. It’s a great chance to get creative and not be too obvious in your sales tactics. Leave that for your email campaigns.

The ultimate pro tip here: engage and act how you would like your community to. Followers are humans just like you, so all you need to do is speak and behave like a good human and treat others how you’d like to be treated. 

We recommend planning your editorial content ahead of time. Check out our 24 days of content (link to free download under Resources).