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Back when I started my business, social media was just starting to gain in popularity. “What’s a tweet?” I remember thinking. How quickly have things changed in just a few years?
There are now over 2 billion social media users worldwide!
More than half (52 percent) of those use two or more social media sites.
I’ve become a Twitter goddess.
Not really, but I do realize the importance of social media in business and I’ve learned a few things over the years. Here are some of my best tips:
Social Media1. Post everywhere! I post our content on Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google +, but Twitter is where I spend most of my time. I not only post my own content, but also tweet content written by others that I think is interesting.
2. Get organized. You need tools to manage your social media. I’m a big fan of HootSuite and Tweetdeck.
3. Use analytics. Many social media platforms have introduced analytics for their users. The ones at Twitter and Pinterest are quite robust. You need to determine what you’re using social media for in order to determine your ROI.
4. Be present. Make sure you check your social media interactions constantly and answer quickly. Most likely you will have to delegate this task to someone on staff or hire a freelancer to help.
5. Be responsive. Most negative comments are complaints about products or services. Make sure you post an apology and then take the interaction offline so you can make amends either by refund or replacement.
6. Be visual. Facebook posts containing photos accounted for 87 percent of all network interactions in 2014. There are plenty of easy-to-use apps available that can help make your posts more visual.
7. Keep them coming back. Make sure you’re posting coupons and discounts to encourage customers to check their feeds often for your posts.
8. Try paid posts. Advertisers worldwide are expected to spend $23.68 billion on paid media to reach consumers on social networks this year, according to eMarketer. Test out a few targeted posts to reach new customers and see what type of posts get responses.
About the Author
Rieva Lesonsky, HeadshotRieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbizdaily.com, follow her onGoogle+ and Twitter.com/Rieva and visit her website, SmallBizDaily.com, to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free TrendCast reports.