11 ways to get more out of social media

Social media has the power to transform your business. It can help generate more leads and turn followers into customers. In fact, 90% of people buy from a company they follow on social media! That’s why is important that your social media is firing on all cylinders and is working for you instead of against you.

To be successful on social media you not only need to know what not to do but what to do. This is exactly what we’re going to dive into in this article. We’ll cover 13 different ways you can improve your social media marketing efforts to grow your business. Let’s go!

1. Use high-quality photos

Have you ever been scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and seen a blurry selfie a friend shared? If so, you probably thought to yourself “Why did you post that photo? It’s so bad!” Now imagine that your business shared a photo that was low quality like that. high-quality photography can showcase the work you do in a professional manner, makes you appear more trustworthy, and can generate shares, likes, and comments on your posts. Make sure that all your photos are 1080p or higher and are formatted to fit the social media platform you intend to post on.

2. Use video

With the rapid growth and popularity of TikTok other social media platforms have started to shift their focus from photo and text to more short-form video content. You can generate tons of buzz around your business by including regular videos in your content that inform, entertain and engage with your audience.

BONUS: When creating your video content make sure to use a high-resolution camera and spend a few bucks to get a good microphone. I know I’ve clicked off videos and kept scrolling because of low resolution and poor audio.

3. Create a content schedule

Sitting down each day to think about what content to post for the day is time-consuming and isn’t always possible. But, creating a content calendar that clearly outlines when and what to post on which days will not only save you time but also give you a visual representation of what your posting will look like for the month.

SOME TIPS:

• When creating your calendar look for holidays and national/international days that relate to your brand.

• Use the calendar as a guide. Something might come up that will require you to change what you were going to post for that day. Stay fluid.

• Use scheduling tools like Buffer to easily schedule content on your social media profiles.

4. Use infographics

They catch our eyes and retain our interest because we love learning. Infographics do just that by breaking down sometimes complex data and turning it into digestible graphics for us to consume. Posting infographics can establish your brand as a thought leader. Another great reason to post infographics is that they get shared!

5. Engage with your fans

We are social people and we thrive off of interactions with others. Engaging with your fans is a great way to keep them around and bring in new fans. You can do this by replying to a comment or by creating content that encourages your followers to leave a comment, like, or share.

SOME TIPS:

• To get your followers to leave a comment ask them a question.

• If you want more shares then ask your followers to share your content.

6. Be creative

Nothing compares to being creative. Using creative copy, graphics, photos, and videos will take your social media to new heights. Each and every day we scroll through hours' worth of content but we engage with and remember the content that is unique and creative. Spend time on each piece of content to make it unique and spend a few hours each week thinking about creative ways you can share your message on social media.

7. Hire an agency

Creating content that helps accomplish your goals takes time and effort. That is time and effort you could spend on other aspects of your business. A professional agency that offers social media services will be able to work with you to create valuable content that grows your brand and gets seen by your ideal customers. Plus, an agency has a team of writers, designers, and creatives that can pump out content on a consistent basis.

8. Create content for your audience

One of the first things you do when you create a business plan is outline your ideal customer. Knowing that is a major step in making content that works. By knowing your ideal customer you can now create content that speaks directly to them. We are more likely to buy if we feel that the product or service is made for us.

SOME TIPS:

• When writing your copy write it as they would read it. For example: If your target customer is a 40-year-old male in the midwest who drives a pickup truck and is a blue-collar worker then you’ll want your copy to sound like him. Don’t use modern slang that he probably doesn't understand.

• If your ideal customer is women between 25 and 35 then use images of women in that age group.

9. Watch the competition

You can improve your social media efforts simply by checking in on what others in your industry are posting. Look for the posts with the higher engagement and shares and take notes on what the post was about and its key features. When doing this look for rivals that have similar followers to you. If you sell shoes and your pages have 1,000 followers and you compare your content to Nike then you are always going to fall short.

10. The 80/20 rule

The 80/20 rule is used to keep your followers engaged and not always feel like they are being sold to. This rule basically means that 80% of your content needs to be educational or entertaining while the remaining 20% of your content should be selling. This not only makes your followers feel like they aren’t constantly being sold to but also provides them with tons of content that either informs or entertains them making them more likely to stay a fan.

11. Use copy formulas

When creating content copy you can either write out your message or you can use a formula to generate higher engagement rates. These formulas are great for encouraging users to take the desired action. You have classic formulas like AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution) and more direct ones like BAB (Before, After, Bridge). We could write an entirely new blog about the different copy formulas, but until then you can check out what copy.ai wrote.

I hope these tips help you improve your social media marketing efforts and ultimately grow your business.