The number of social media users has been rising every year. There were more than 4.62 billion users in 2022, compared to 4.2 billion users the previous year. That means social media platforms engage half of the world’s population and regularly have their users’ attention.
Can small businesses leverage their social media presence to boost sales? Here are tips for optimizing social media for branding, service promotion or customer service.
Define your audience
An audience first digital agency like Reise Digital takes time to analyze and optimize its social media channels. After over a decade in digital marketing, the organization believes most businesses need help understanding their online users. Many marketers are in an unending cycle of promotional messages due to a poor understanding of their audiences.
Therefore, you must define your target audience before developing a strategy to leverage your social media audience. Your prospect’s needs and pain points will influence different aspects of your online approach. Marketers must consider income level, occupation, and spending power in their analysis.
When developing your social media presence, you need to answer questions like:
- What products will you be selling on the platform?
- What approach appeals to your prospects on social media?
- How does my product or service solve the problem?
Since you cannot target everyone, narrowing the target audience is crucial for your marketing approach. The process can be time-consuming in the initial stages. However, thorough research is an effective way to ensure you generate quality leads.
Here are a few tips for defining your audience:
- Create buyer persona: A buyer persona is a fictional profile that defines your prospect. Consider relevant characteristics related to your target audience, such as income level, purchase patterns and lifestyle. Some brands may create multiple customer profiles for different products or services.
- Request audience feedback: Feedback from social media users can be invaluable for defining your audience. You can use surveys with questions on their social media usage. What content on your channel do they like? How do they use social media? Most users will volunteer information if you ask.
Choose the right platforms for your content
Marketers must first identify the right platform that will support their business objectives. Despite the number of site users, you’d be wasting time and resources if your audience is off the social media site.
For example, YouTube has the highest number of hits on its mobile platform in the United States. But Facebook has more visits from desktop users. If your target audience accesses the internet through their cellphone more frequently, consider using YouTube.
It also depends on how you’ll be using social media. Twitter is a text-based platform, making it more suitable for customer service and real-time responses to customer questions. Instagram is great for brand recognition, but its structure is not ideal for customer service.
Understand the platform and its style
Audiences use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in different ways. Consider creating your profile on a platform that complements your brand’s value. Snapchat and TikTok when marketing to gen-z, but they are not the best choice if you are targeting an older audience.
You may choose LinkedIn if you intend to post professional content. It is also a suitable site if your goal is collaboration. You can find other experts in your field for networking.
You can publish content to multiple sites to save time. But different social media platforms have varying rules and formats. Review the structure and terms to determine if the content is appropriate for the site.
Develop relevant content on social media
Your content is essential when reaching out to audiences on social media. It influences your prospect’s perception of trust and authenticity of your business. In a crowded space like social media, it establishes authority and helps forge long-term customer relationships.
- Maintain a consistent tone on social media platforms: Your content reflects your brand’s identity. It is advisable to maintain a consistent tone across social media channels.
- Nurture leads by varying your content: Maintaining a consistent tone is essential for your social media content. But to keep your audience engaged, consider posting different content types. For example, images can complement blog posts and improve brand recognition. Visual content could be invaluable for instructional and how-to pages. It is also a powerful marketing tool. According to the State of Video Marketing 2021, 76% of marketers say they have been utilizing video to boost their sales.
- Evaluate your competition: Visit others channels in your industry to gain insights into your content strategy. What type of content do they post? How do users react to different content types? The answers to these questions will sharpen your instinct when gauging your prospect’s needs and concerns.
While developing an effective social media presence may seem daunting, many tools can simplify the process. You can analyze your audience using analytical tools. If done correctly, your efforts will help you stay ahead of the competition and boost sales.
For more on optimizing your social media channel, contact Reise Digital today.
