Social media is one of the most important tools to help you promote your brand and engage with your consumers. As of January 2022, there were 4.62 billion social media users worldwide, which is more than half of the earth’s population (Hirose, 2022), which is why it is so beneficial to use social media to showcase your brand!
Establish your target audience
It’s important to know the audience you want to reach through social media. Which social media platforms you will benefit from using depend on your target audience. If you want to reach a primarily younger audience, Instagram will become your best friend. More than half of Instagram users are under the age of 35 and 84% of teens in the U.S. use it at least once a month (Hirose 2022). If you want to target an older group, Facebook may be your go-to.
Local brands will benefit from reaching out to local people. Although it’s great to have followers from everywhere, your most important followers are the ones that live locally and will be going to your business (Read 2021).
Show off your brand’s personality
On social media, you want to show off your brand’s personality. Doing this will set you apart from other businesses and show your authenticity. Consider how you want to come off to your audience –do you want to be playful and humorous or serious and sophisticated? Be true to your brand and what you believe in, and don’t be afraid to be creative and have fun with it!
Interact with your followers and build a relationship with them
Consumers want to be heard and want to know that they matter to your brand. Engaging with your followers is not only another way to establish your brand personality, but to build loyalty and trust with them. Replying to a comment or reposting your follower’s content will show your followers that you appreciate them and want to have a relationship with them. “Nurturing relationships can also help you build a loyal community that will lead to ongoing sales over time. New customer acquisition is great, but don’t downplay the value of customer retention” (Newberry 2021). Consumers will want to stay loyal to your brand if they feel they have a personal relationship with you.
Be consistent
Creating a schedule for your social media content can be very helpful. Instead of thinking of ideas on the spot, plan your posts ahead of time. Create a monthly calendar that lays out when and what you will be posting. Posting a couple of times a week will keep your brand relevant on your follower’s feed, and on their mind as well.
Follow the latest trends
Social media trends are one of the main ways to stay in the loop of what is relevant and what followers want to see. Although showcasing your products and services is important, followers will appreciate a brand that puts out a funny meme or participates in a viral internet trend!
References
https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-tips-for-small-business-owners/#6_Pay_attention_to_trends
https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-demographics/
https://buffer.com/library/social-media-for-small-business/
