Throughout the years, social media has become the lifeblood of online businesses. No wonder social media marketing services continue to boom as well. However, it is easy to sink into oblivion because brands fail to maintain their social media presence. Such presence pertains to how present your brand is on social media networking sites. These sites are not plug-and-forget – as a brand, you really need to make your presence felt.
If you are struggling with building and maintaining your brand’s social media presence, take heed of these actionable tips.
Ways to Improve your social media presence
1. Devise a content creation or curation plan
One of the secrets to building a solid social media presence is posting consistently. However, staying consistent requires you to pre-plan any content to avoid posting irrelevant, repetitive, and last-minute content. It helps to have a social media calendar that allows you to cross-post across different social media platforms. This posting schedule also gives you the opportunity to map out content strategies that align with your business goals and the needs of your target audience.
That’s the other secret – creating or curating content with your audience in mind. You should post content that is relevant to your audience. Otherwise, it will not gain the traction it needs to engage more audience and build social presence further.
2. Schedule and automate posts
When creating a content calendar, it is also wise to pick post automation and scheduling tools. A digital marketing agency handling several social accounts is surely using these tools. They allow social strategists and brands like you to publish and schedule updates automatically, even up to one month in advance.
Once you take care of content, it is easier to manage and monitor engagement, particularly those that are aimed at building your social presence. One perfect example is responding to inquiries, comments, and private messages as quickly as you can. You won’t be able to do this if you have to focus your energy on creating and posting content on a daily basis.
3. Diversify engagement tactics
Speaking of engagements, you need to engage your target audience in several relevant ways actively. Aside from responding to comments, you may also participate in conversations in the comment section. Yes, that’s where most engagements occur. You may also start sharing relevant information and user-generated content.
Likewise, you may post polls and do a follow-up of the results. Ask and answer questions, too – Q&As are critical engagement points nowadays. Don’t forget to address criticisms and complaints. Finally, you can also show appreciation for your most engaged customers by rewarding them with badges, claps, or promo codes to reward their participation. You can give them anything that they appreciate.
4. Explore different platform features
Social platforms consistently roll out new features. One of the best practices is to embrace these new features so you can stay ahead of the curb. As a brand, you should discover creative ways to integrate them into your content strategy.
One example of a social platform with full-packed features is Instagram. Aside from its basic features, it introduced shoppable posts and reels that have also spilled over to Facebook. From photo-sharing apps, Instagram and Facebook have become video-sharing apps that brands can take advantage of. You can stay relevant also if you use a healthy mix of post types, including carousels, reels, videos, and shoppable items. Not to mention they break the monotony of posting the same content over and over
5. Leverage trends and buzzy content
Trends can boost awareness and social traffic. So don’t be afraid to take trends and make them your own. However, practice caution. Capitalize on trends that you know your audience will find entertaining. Otherwise, it will backfire because if there’s one thing that the audience has mastered throughout the years, it is authenticity. They would know whether you are just jumping the bandwagon or really care for the cause.
When leveraging trends and buzz, always consult your brand strategy first. You need to make sure there is alignment, relevance, and consistency. Then, adjust your content accordingly.
6. Use high-quality creative assets
Social media is also a place for brand discovery. Some users mindlessly scroll down through their feeds. Your post may show up and garner their interest, that is if there is something fascinating about your brand or post. This has something to do with your creative assets or the photos, videos, and other visuals you publish on your digital assets.
As such, you want your feeds and posts to tell a story, and using high-quality creative visuals ensures that it is the story that you really want to tell your audience. Visuals enhance your brand message and make sure that it is well-conveyed to your audience. What’s more, people are more likely to engage with posts with high-quality visuals than don’t have any.
So if you think a social media presence is having a Facebook or Instagram profile and filling it with branded content, you’re wrong. Social media presence is about tailoring your content to the needs and interests of your target audience. Above are some of the ways that you can build and leverage your social presence. It all boils down to the question: How do you want to connect with your audience? How relatable do you want your brand to be?
