Where Do I Begin With My Social Media Strategy?
The key to successfully breaking through the noise and constant cycle of social media feeds is using a strategic approach. You need an engaging social media strategy for your business, which includes developing relationships with followers on multiple platforms.
A social media strategy looks different for every business, but there are a few basic steps you can follow: Write quality posts, share your posts across platforms, and keep analytics nearby to track your success.
Believe it or not, there are approximately 3.5 billion active social media users across the globe, and the number keeps climbing! This growth gives you an incredible opportunity to reach new users. With the right social media strategy, you can expand your reach like never before.
What Does It Mean To Optimize A Social Media Profile?
You may be curious: how does optimizing your social media profile factor into your social media strategy? Optimization doesn’t stop after creating a good-looking account; optimization includes every aspect from fonts used in posts or comments fields.
The profile is the landing page for each of your social media platforms. Below are 3 elements of the social media profile to focus on.
- Profile photo: For a business, make sure that the profile logo includes the company/brand logo. The logo builds brand recognition as your content begins to gain more traction. Logos are the first thing people see as your social media begins to display in search results.
- Usernames: Also known as a social media handle. Your username should be consistent across your social media platforms to make it easier for people to find you.
- Bio: Completely fill out your bio. Clearly communicate your brand and what you do with relevant keywords. Trackable links to your website help determine how much traffic your social media is pulling to your website. Some services exist to manage trackable links. Google search for trackable links or short links, do your research, and pick one best suited for you.
Four Steps To Build Your Social Media Strategy
The content you post on social media not only needs to be high quality, but it also needs to be optimized for your audience. This means creating original and curated posts that will resonate with your audience.
Optimize your content by writing about topics you’re familiar with, or other content you share from other sources on social media.
Including more than one headline is a great way to maximize your blog performance. You can experiment and see which headlines get traction or search engine rankings for the specific piece of content you’re working on. Having different headings not only helps promote what was posted last week, but allows you to quickly drive a social media strategy. Think shorter intervals between posts, rather than waiting days before posting again
#1 Do Your #Research
Utilizing hashtags to optimize your social media strategy will allow you to reach a broader audience. Each hashtag makes it easier for your regular and new followers to find your content in the massive sea of social media posts.
Hashtags are a great tool, but make sure to use them intentionally. Each hashtag should have a purpose and be relevant to your brand and content. If you’re wondering what’s relevant for your brand or currently trending, look at other influencers as well as your competitors.
Hashtag rotation is a great way to optimize your social media strategy. You should build several groups of hashtags to rotate through to prevent your blog from being flagged as spam. Hashtag rules also differ from each social media site. Instagram allows you to have up to 30 hashtags, but Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter prefer a max of 3 to 4 per post.
#2 Scheduled Posting
Another way to optimize your social media strategy is to regularly check your data. Find the ideal days and times to post so you can get on a schedule. You’ll want to check up on the data regularly, as there may be changes over time that will require scheduling adjustments. You should constantly monitor your data to make sure your profile achieves optimal reach and engagement.
Social media platforms and your audience will affect scheduled postings. While some platforms are better for posting multiple times a day, others may only be best for one or two posts a day. By reviewing your data regularly, you can monitor these trends to find out what will give you the best engagement.
You’re spending a lot of time carefully curating your best content to post across social media platforms, so make sure you’re taking the extra step to check data.
#3 Sharing Is Caring
In a survey conducted by Sprout Social, approximately 67% of people use social media at work. Platform users are less likely to connect with a brand they’re unfamiliar with rather than a brand or person they know. If a post about an unfamiliar brand is shared by a friend, then users are more likely to engage with the unfamiliar brand.
This is why sharing is caring! Encourage your employees to share your brand throughout all platforms. Each new share spreads your brand and messaging to people you may not otherwise reach.
#4 Include Purposeful Visual Content
Just like picture books when you were younger, our eyes are drawn to images before text. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook rely heavily on images for their users. Videos and images can also be useful on Twitter and LinkedIn. A study conducted by Buffer about Twitter revealed that Tweets with visually appealing content receive 18% more clicks, 89% more likes, and up to 150% more retweets.
Streamline Your Social Media Strategy Today
Optimizing your social media strategy is the foundation of a successful social media presence. Once you have your social media strategy in place, you’ll be able to monitor your performance and engagement. By consistently tracking metrics that help you understand your campaign’s performance, you’ll be optimizing your social media campaign and remain a step ahead of all your competitors.