Chichester Copywriter Crafting words to make your business fly…

6 Top Tips for Achieving Excellent Engagement with Social Media Marketing

Why are two fat ladies so important for the success of your business? No matter how un-PC and cringe-worthy it might be, venture down to the bingo hall and “two fat ladies” will be proclaimed on the Tannoy when the number 88 ball is drawn. So what? 88% is not only the proportion of adults (aged 18-29) using social media today but also the proportion of businesses using social media.

Those shapely female folk aren’t such a figure of fun now, are they? You need to be among the 88% of businesses promoting their offerings via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and alike. More importantly, if your target market fits that young adult bracket, you need to be smashing it on social media.

But how do you “smash it”? How do you generate engagement (likes, comments and shares)? How do you turn followers into loyal customers? Here are three do’s and three don’ts that will help you get your ducks in a row (that’s number 22, for all you bingo fans):

 

Do it now!

  1. Target your posts – As with any marketing strategy, you need to think about your target audience (ideal customer) when deciding on platforms and then again when creating social media posts. You’ll likely need to use different mediums to reach different people and this will differ from business to business. Find out when your audience will be online – posts published on specific days of the week and at specific times a day can achieve far greater engagement.
  2. Use all analytics – The stats can inform what type of platforms and posts worked well for your particular audience and help you to post what will work best in the future. When using a scheduling tool, such as Buffer, you’ve got the option of using their analytics as well as those available directly from your individual social media accounts. This means you can compare the stats to make sure everything adds up and attain them in easily downloadable formats.
  3. Wow with images – The types of images that people engage with is down to a simple bit of psychology. To make an impact, you need to pick images that will create an emotional response – be that fear (scary spider), protection (cute baby otter) or surprise (Borat in a mankini). Despite the digital media invasion, people are still wired to engage better face-to-face so use images that focus on the face and show a bit of brand personality.

 

Don’t do it!

  1. Focus on vanity – Totting up more followers doesn’t necessarily mean you’re winning at social media marketing. The value of those followers is what counts. It’s better to have three followers likely to buy your goods or services than 300 who would never give you the time of day, let alone a thumbs up.
  2. Cold call – When using social media platforms like LinkedIn to tap into your target audience with direct messages, you’re unlikely to get anywhere without any groundwork. You need to “court” your ideal customers and engage with their posts before you can spring a sales request on them. Play the long game and you’ll create lasting relationships. As Gary Vaynerchuk recommends: “jab, jab, jab – right hook”!
  3. Share any old meme – Only share posts and media (video, GIFs etc.) that represent your brand and that you think other people will share. It’s ok to have a bit of fun and share a cute puppy every now and again but you can do this in such a way that it’s not completely random and off-brand. For example, when providing social media marketing management for a pain clinic, Chichester Copywriter posted a video showing a dog getting a massage on #NationalDogDay. Keep it relevant!

 

Bingo! Chichester Copywriter’s got your back

For more expert insight into the world of digital marketing, contact Katy for one-to-one social media marketing training. She covers how to get more followers, what to post, how to best engage, social media etiquette and more for the platform/s you wish to master (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and/or Pinterest).

Want a little more support to create brand awareness and generate leads using social media? Katy also offers a variety of social media marketing packages to suit a range of business goals and budgets. Get in touch for more information or to book a free 30-minute consultation.

 

This entry was posted in Chichester Copywriter's Marketing Tips and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *