Keep in mind, seven out of 10 Americans use social media. So, to whittle down everything I’ve learned in social media marketing through the years into a single, all-encompassing social media tip is pretty much impossible. However, that’s not to say I don’t have some guidelines I can share.

Instead of one, I’m happy to share 4. These are tried and tested guidelines that I have used myself and have been proven effective.

1. Always start by laying out your goals and objectives

Too often, marketers make the mistake of diving into social media with so much confidence they don’t even bother setting objectives. Social media is so ingrained into our daily lifestyle that we assume managing a business account is no different from managing your personal one. But quite simply, you can’t work towards something if you don’t even know what you’re working towards.

Establishing clear objectives means your goals are top of mind. This allows you to map out a strategic path towards achieving them. I would suggest keeping the following in mind when you do: 

•   Be specific and assign actual figures you’re targeting. For example, do you want to reach 1,000 new followers?
•   Always set a deadline for your goals. If you’re aiming for a thousand new followers, give yourself a feasible time-frame.
•   Make sure your social marketing strategy is aligned with your overall marketing strategy.

2. Don’t go in blind—research and learn what you can about your audience

Social media is a great platform for engaging with your audience. You can’t do that if you don’t know how to connect with your audience.

Take the time to learn about them—what they like, what they don’t like; what they need; what they find relevant; what they want to hear more about, and so on. The more detailed your understanding of your audience, the better chance you have of implementing a successful social media strategy.

Start with:

•   Conducting a survey among your customers to gain specific insight
•   Learning their basic demographics
•   Engaging them in related forums and taking part in conversations

3. Be creative with your promotions—running contests is a great way to give your social media pages a big boost

One of the most effective strategies I’ve implemented to boost a social media profile is by running a simple contest. The key is in offering something that is of value to your audience. If you’re offering a service, doing it for free for the first few months is always a good draw. If you’re offering a specific product, a giveaway is a great idea.

Be sure to give your audience something actionable that will yield instant results for your social media profile. For example, “follow us” and “share this post”, “hit like”, or “comment below” are all great ways to spur engagement on your page and build an audience.

4. Avoid being too hard sell on your social media pages

Traditional marketing strategies had to evolve in recent years because of how intrusive they were deemed to be. Ads that cut through the internet browsing or social media experience tend to annoy a lot of users. They find it intrusive and jarring.

In short, people don’t really like sales pitches. They want to form informed opinions about the brands or services that they come across. This means that as a business, you need to establish real connections with your audience in order for them to trust you.

There you have it. I truly hope you find my answer helpful. I know it’s more than one, but these guidelines have served me well in all my years in marketing. If you’d like to know more, I’d be happy to share other tips. Do leave me a comment!