I was recently speaking with a friend who had been managing her company’s social media marketing for several months. Her frustration was through the roof as she started talking about her troubles.

“I’m just not seeing any results!” she said.

We sat down and reviewed what was going on. It didn’t take very long to see the glaring issues. Her company only had a Facebook page, hardly used any images (the ones they did use were low-quality), and only posted ads. We decided to go to square one, and I gave her five essential things she needed to start doing ASAP to gain a better online following.

1. Use more than just Facebook. Facebook is still reigning supreme as the world’s most popular social media platform. However, that in no way means you shouldn’t use other sites as well. Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, Snapchap, and YouTube offer unique avenues to engagement that all brands could utilize. Each platform has a different approach to marketing, and by broadening your horizons, you are raising your brand’s online visibility exponentially.

2. Images with every post. For a while, many social media pros weren’t keen on using imagery for every update, largely in part due to Twitter’s 140-character count (they used to take 25-40 characters away per image.) Well, Twitter no longer counts images as part of the character count and there are no more excuses. Images for every post has become the new industry standard. Every post should have either a picture, video, GIF, etc. Social media posts receive up to 20% more engagement with some form of imagery. Make sure the visuals you choose are bright, colorful, and eye-catching.

3. Create original imagery. Now that you’re going to start using images for every post, you have a tough task ahead of you. You can’t just use any old image you find online. The best visuals are original visuals. There are tons of image creating software that you can incorporate, both free and paid. For added branding, add your logo to each piece so people do not forget where this compelling content came from. Finally, make sure your visuals are of a professional quality (no blurry images, please!) and fit each platforms’ image size dimensions.

4.  Know what your audience likes. Who is your ideal customer? What demographic flocks to your product the most? As a business professional, you may already know this. But it goes beyond just age and gender. What are their values and priorities? What is their education level? What is their average income? You need to do some serious studying and analysis about your target audience.

After all, you wouldn’t market to a Millennial bookworm that lives in the Northwest the same way you would to a Floridian Baby Boomer who takes care of her elderly parents and likes to bake on the side, would you?

Every demographic likes different kind of content. Those who are in their twenties flock to “how to” videos while those in their forties engage with fact-based articles. Now, once you find one thing that works does not mean your feed should be flooded with that type of content. You can most certainly have too much of a good thing. Add a variety of engaging content with a subtle dose of promotional content mixed in.

5. Watch your competitors. Closely. You’re not the only company on the internet. In fact, approximately 50 million companies use social media for marketing right now, and that number grows every day.

Luckily, you can see what your competitors are up to. How do they approach social media? Does their content generate more engagement than yours? If so, what are they doing that you can learn from?

Perhaps they are getting their customers to join the conversation in a way you have never seen before. While we don’t condone plagiarism of any kind, it’s always good to see how others in your industry handle social media.

Get Going! Social media doesn’t have a black and white formula. It’s very subjective, and as a result, marketers need to analyze, experiment, and make a wholehearted effort to reach their audience and potential customers in different ways. You need to keep at it and consistently generate content for your audience!

Contact us today to learn how social media marketing can bring your brand to new heights!