When you’re running a fast-paced business it’s easy to slack off a little on social media. You know you should keep your social media accounts updated with fresh content — but that’s easier said than done.
Here are some quick tips you can use to take your social media efforts up a notch.
1. Batch and automate social media posts
Create a series of social media posts to educate and inspire your fans. Use social media scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to increase your frequency on each social channel and stay consistent.
Schedule a set time each week to create your posts for a 7 day batch. This will prevent you from haphazardly creating and publishing new posts on the fly when your agenda is full of other important to-dos.
2. Step up your visuals
Stop sharing boring posts that don’t include engaging images or video. Use free online design tools, such as Adobe Spark, Canva and PicMonkey, to create professional-looking images. Content with relevant images get 94% more views than content without relevant images.
3. Launch a free group challenge
Facebook and LinkedIn Groups are great social communities to launch challenges and incentivize engagement. For example, create a free 5-day “Skill Building” challenge to help your social media followers strengthen a particular skill. Ask them to complete a different skill-building task each day during the challenge, and have them share their results on social media.
4. Run a social media contest
Create a social media contest to grow brand awareness. Create a theme, timeline, prize, a way for people to enter (i.e., post creative pictures of customers using your product, their favorite industry tip, etc.) and choose the best one. This is also a great way to produce user-generated content that you can repurpose into content marketing material.
5. Use hashtags to expand reach
Attach the pound sign (#) to a keyword related to your offering or industry when sharing posts on social media. This makes your content searchable, as your post that includes the hashtag will appear in a user’s feed when they are searching for that specific hashtag.
Conduct a little hashtag research beforehand, using Google+/Explore to find new trends related to your topics. Since hashtags on Google+ are very time-sensitive, they reflect what’s trending right now.
Don’t overuse them and ensure to use the right number of hashtags for each social platform. While you can post a number of hashtags on Instagram, sticking with one or two on Twitter is best.
6. Connect with influencers on social media
Follow people who are well-known in your industry. Share their content and they may reciprocate once you’re on their radar. Produce engaging content that is targeted enough to attract social media followers that match your ideal customers and resonate with influencers.
7. Cross-promote your social media profiles
Ask your Facebook fans to connect with you on Instagram, and ask your Twitter followers to follow your Pinterest boards.
Most social media platforms allow you to link (or connect) to other social media profiles. Include links to your other social network profiles in whatever profile you’re currently signed into. For example, YouTube allows you to post links to your other social network profiles on your Channel page. Also, you can add a tab for Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to your Facebook Business Page with tools like Woobox.com.
This allows you to build a robust community of quality followers. If someone is willing to follow you on multiple social networks, that person likely trusts your content and could even be a potential customer.
8. Keep your social media profiles consistent
Verify that you’ve completed your profiles on each social media account with a unified business description that includes keywords relevant to your niche and offerings. Add links to your website and other social media accounts. When applicable, include your contact information and mission statement.
This article has been edited and condensed.
Jaclyn Baldovin is a digital content strategist and owner of the coaching and consulting company, The Digital Content Handbook. She teaches unstoppable female entrepreneurs how to leverage digital tools, like social media, email and video, to grow their businesses online. Jaclyn is passionate about technology and teaching people the power of the internet as a business resource. Connect with @jaclynbaldovin on Twitter.
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