Social media has developed into an incredible tool for businesses. Even when browsing for personal updates on friends or reaching out to long lost family, social media is being used as a direct and subliminal marketing tool by a huge percentage of businesses, so if you are avoiding the ‘gram or concerned about jumping on TikTok trends then you are most definitely missing some sort of growth opportunity.
So, how do you use it to grow your business? There are so many tips and tricks that it can get a bit confusing. Being the no mumble-jargon helpful people we are, we have put together our 6 social media top tips for you below.
Of course, you could be swatting up on knowledge so you know what to expect of your social media manager. If this is the case, you are welcome to give us a call to ask any questions or if you are looking for a social media manager for your business in Plymouth, Devon or Cornwall, we can visit you in person to really get to know your business.
Tip 1 | Keep an eye on what is trending
How do we know what is trending on social media? Well, it is simple. Reading articles is a simple way to be in the loop. There are so many that outline trends and updates, and from here, you can choose what to do with them. A great example is the new feature on Tiktok that allows you to create 3 minute videos, or Instagram with Reels.
Check out the latest trends according from Hootsuite (here) who collate social media trends for you, saving you all the hard work. Alternatively, give us a call. One of our team will look over your social media platforms and give you a few pointers on what trends you might be missing out on.
Tip 2 | Content Creation
People come to social media for the content they can enjoy. For you, this means you have to create all forms of content to keep your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Tiktok pages looking great.
Content creation can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. All audiences react in different ways, so you need to define your audience, understand who your target market is and embrace your creativity to create a variety of posts. This can range from images you take, stock images, gifs, and videos you have taken yourself. There is no set path you can take, but just ensure your audience are enjoying your posts.
Here are a few of our favourite sites for FREE stock images and media content!
At Blue Sapphire Media we offer Content Creation packages separate from general social media help. If you are looking for a social media manager specifically in Plymouth, Devon or Cornwall, get in touch.
Tip 3 | Hastags
Hashtags are your best friends on social media. They will help your content reach more than just the people who follow you, and will help grow your brand awareness.
We recommend utilising all 30 hashtags using this simple formula;
Industry-specific + post specific + location
Pick 18-20 fixed industry-specific hashtags that you should use on every post. These will help you show up in these hashtags more regularly. From here, we suggest adding an additional 8-10 post specific hashtags that relate to what you are talking about. With your leftover hashtags, tag your locations and any relevant trending hashtags. Play around with them and monitor your results!
Make sure to consider if your hashtags should change depending on the platform you are posting on. #instainfluencer won’t fit the bill with your followers on LinkedIn where you may want to consider more technical or corporate terminology.
Tip 4 | Interact with your followers
You want to embody an approachable persona that will allow your followers to engage with you. This will create great customer loyalty, and can generate free word of mouth awareness!
The easiest way to engage with your audience is to reply back to comments, ask questions, and comment on their posts. This can be for a product, or a service. Approaches like this will help your followers to engage more, and share on their social media. Small and simple things will define your social media approach. Competitions can work well for some businesses, but it is important to understand this does not work for all and you must follow the advertising and community standards of the social media platform.
Get in touch if you want to discuss if competitions would work for you.
Hey! We really love connecting with other businesses. We set alerts to notify us when our customers post online so we can engage with their posts. Want to be on our alert list?
Get in touch – Mention an ‘enagement partnership’ in your email
Tip 5 | Measure Analytics
Measuring analytics is incredibly important. You could be posting all types of content, engaging with your audience and believing people are enjoying your content, but your metrics could be telling a different story.
On platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Linkedin, you will be able to view your engagements, shares, reach and other metrics on the platform itself. It is a free tool you need to utilise, as it will help your social media strategy grow. Making a note of what engagements you are getting on your different content types will help you conclude what your audience is really enjoying and what they are not.
Tip 6 | Consistancy
Being consistent will define your social media approach. If you post once a week, you will struggle to see any results at all.
The easiest way to remain consistent is to have a content calendar and to schedule content in advance. Spending one-day creating weeks worth of content will take a huge weight off your shoulders and keep you on track. This will allow you to explore multiple content opportunities and speak about a variety of things.
Our favourite scheduling apps are;
It is important to mention that some social media platforms are said to criticise posts that are scheduled with third party platforms – so, for Facebook and Instagram posts we recommend using Facebook Business Suite and Publer for LinkedIn and Google My Business.
Social media works in conjunction with your website, reviews, referrals, SEO and other marketing efforts. We include linked social media icons on all of our website designs unless otherwise requested and offer social media platform set up, management and more Get in touch to find out about our other services.
We look forward to showing your social media page some love! Tag us in posts, give us a follow and let’s get social!