Social media has matured, but I would ask the question… "Has your brand developed along with it?" A vast majority of brands use social media as a platform to broadcast to fans, not engage with them. What’s wrong with that you might ask? Well, social media is a two-way street open to engagement and conversation. It is at the heart of a customer's experience with a brand these days, and there are some key things you should keep in mind.
Tip #1 - Pay attention to your fans
Everyone always says that social media is a place where brands can listen to their fans. We think you need to do more than listen. You need to get out there and create conversations around your space. Listening is great, but that is only half of what makes up “conversations.” When someone engages directly or indirectly, make sure they get some attention.
Tips #2 - Accelerate brand awareness
On Social, brands can reach consumers in a variety of different ways: paid, earned, and shared content. You should be using all of these methods, as people will be reached in different ways. Again, that is paid, earned, and shared content. So whether you have to boost a post, engage in a conversation over a hashtag, or get an agreement with another account to share each other's content, you need to be thinking outside of the box.
Tip #3 - Cross-promote
Cross-promotion, which I kind of mention in Tip #2, can have such a huge impact I wanted to dedicate a tip just to it. When big brands partner with complimenting brands they increase their exposure across both audiences and then some. But we understand that you might not be a big brand. That's ok…. All you have to do is get creative. A great example is two friends that are local, rival insurance salespeople. Bradley and Laurel Flowers. A few months ago they had a contest on Facebook to see who could sell the most life policies in a month. Working together they set a PR for policies sold in one month.
Never before has there been a time where small businesses can stand up and shout just as loud as large corporations, with proper planning and some creative insight. So be strategic, but make some noise.
Well, that’s a wrap for this week! I want to thank you for checking in. Make sure to hit that like button. And if you have any questions or comments leave them down below. If you want to talk about how Blue Fish can help you grow your business just send us a message and we’ll get the conversation started!