Social Media isn’t something you “wing” if you are looking to build your brand or business through the various platforms available. While some will argue that they can post and do whatever with their social media accounts, a majority of forward thinking people apply certain strategies and are intentional about the growth of their brand. We came across this series of posts by Social Media Maven, Tosin Ajibade, on Mastering Social Media for Businesses and Entrepreneurs and thought to share.
Please read, enjoy, apply as it suits you and leave a comment with your tip(s) if you have any.
Make a commitment to social media – The first thing that businesses and entrepreneurs can do to find success is make a commitment to social media. Like any other form of marketing, social media for businesses can be a real challenge. It’s hard to grow an audience, create great content, and increase engagement. All too often we see brands giving up on social media after just a few months.
It takes a while to really get the hang of social. Not only to get a consistent content stream going, but to figure out what your audience resonates with and what they don’t.
It all starts with planning. Create a social media strategy and write it down in order to hold your business accountable. Your strategy should include a basic company mission statement, content plan and goals. And most importantly, a powerful statement on “why” people would follow you on social media, what kind of content you plan on creating and posting, and what you hope to achieve.
Channel your energy on selected social media platform(s) – Social media networks are like shiny new objects. They are attractive magnets and we want to be everywhere at once and try everything because we’re sure that this platform will be the one for us. If you try to focus on lots of social networks then you’re setting yourself up for a long road ahead.
Focusing all your efforts on the two to three platforms will give you the best return on investment. Crafting content unique to each platform is critical. It’s an obsession-like focus on a particular platform that allows you to hone in on successful tactics. E.g. Twitter , Facebook or Instagram.
Get the most out of your content – One of the most key aspects in social media marketing mastery is to get the most out of your content. Businesses and entrepreneurs have so many things going on at once that it can be easy to forget that it’s not always necessary to continuously send out brand new content to be successful. Experiment with creating shareable graphics/fliers using (#Canvae.t.c) throughout the post that people can use on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. You can also create a series of Instagram Stories to help promote the post. Or you might try creating a short video for summarizing the post or even more in-depth YouTube video!
Every piece of content you create should have at least 2-3 other pieces of shareable (viral) content to accompany it and also a call-to-action. That way if the link doesn’t resonate then the video might. Or if the video falls short, maybe it makes for good Instagram stories or your website. I am very particular about CTAs. Sometimes I miss them but you must not ignore it.
Allow your passion to drive content – Passion is your drive, ambition and the love of what you do and who you serve. It provides you with a very special view of the world that others often don’t see. Every successful small-business owner and entrepreneur must have a passion that drives them forward — a core belief that keeps them pressing on, even though others don’t necessarily have the same vision. For example – I used my passion on natural hair to drive content two months ago and the outcome was amazing (stats, reach, new contents, drive, followers growth etc). You never know what’s inside until you try it out. Stop and ask yourself: What is your true passion? What makes you excited about what you are doing? The difference between those who push through difficult times and those who do not is passion. I’d suggest that you pick a topic you love and are truly passionate about (For example Food, travel, hair, beauty tips etc).