3 Keys To Social Media Success Three keys to success that I have learned about social media.

So, you've got your business started and you want to promote yourself on social media. How do you go about doing it? Well, you could setup a Facebook Page, an Instagram, and a Twitter, start posting and hope for the best, or you could actually strategize and achieve success on social media for you and your business. I have learned all about social media because of my line of work and it seems that these 3 tips, or rules rather, keep popping up. Rather than having you dig into all of the videos, books, and podcasts I've consumed over the years, I'm going to give you three Keys to success that I have learned about social media:

Value

You need to provide value on social media, more specifically, targeted value. What do I mean by value? Well, I mean something that the people that you want to follow you want to see in their feed. Not a sales pitch, but something that gives rather than asks. Figure out how your business can give your audience something they want. Let's take a boutique for example: You could write and share an article with an outfit of the week. This article would give people inspiration for what to wear. One thing that you could do in that article is link to all of the pieces that you are feature, both the pieces that you carry and the other vendor's pieces of clothing. This gives people an easy way to buy what they are looking for.

You also want to target the value that you are providing so that it gives the most to people that are looking for it. Using the boutique example, the people on Facebook are probably looking for something different than on Instagram. On Facebook, you might want to write a posts that is equally centered on the words, but on Instagram, your main focus is going to be on the picture. Think about how your audience uses the platform and what they are looking for on that platform to better provide value. When you give, people will be more inclined to purchase. Remember that.

Consistency and Frequency

Most businesses make the mistake of avoiding this entirely. They'll post on Facebook in January, then again in May, then maybe in December for a sale they're having. This is a big mistake. You are looking to get your brand exposure on social media, and not posting isn't going to help you towards your goal. You need to post both consistently and frequently to promote your brand on social media, while still providing value in your posts. Use the 80/20 rule for value: 80% Give, 20% Ask. Find out where your business can provide value, come up with a schedule, and stick to it. You need to set an expectation and then meet that expectation consistently in order to build a following.

Be Social

This might seem like it's pretty self explanatory, but it seems to be the thing that most small business owners miss. Your business needs to use social media to interact with your clients. Use social media not as a place to blast your marketing message, but as a place to provide value and communicate with your clients. Social media has the word social in it for a reason. It is meant to be used to interact with your clients, customers, and potential customers. When people reach out to you, reach back out to them. Let them know that you are listening and that you care.

In Conclusion...

Your business can do better on social media. By providing value, being social, and using social media as the powerful tool it is, both consistently and frequently, you have the ability to market your business efficiently and effectively on social media. Remember, you need to get people's attention to ever get their business, and that being unique in how you are using social media is a great way to do that.