10 Ways To Make Better Use of Social Media

Social media can be overwhelming and confusing. If you feel like you’re not exactly sure WHY you’re doing it, or WHO you’re doing it for, you’re definitely not alone. Here are 10 ways to make better use of social media so you feel more in control.

Determine your desired outcome.Fans and followers are great, but what are you doing with them once you have them? Do you want them to sign up for classes? Buy books? Read your articles? Determine your outcome and then adjust your social media plan accordingly.

Choose the right people to run your accounts.Not everyone has a great “voice” for social media. Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking the only millennial around is also the best person to run their social media accounts. You should choose people who understand your brand, the desired outcomes, and ALSO understand the digital world.

Decide whether or not to have a personal or profile page on Facebook.This is a very important question to answer and one that can determine how well your social media efforts will go. A personal page allows you to have “friends” while a profile page let’s people “like” you or your brand. There are many advantages to setting up a profile page and keeping work and your personal life separate. Profile pages also give great analytics.

Set attainable goals.Once you know your desired outcome and who will run your accounts, set goals you can reach. Maybe you want 5,000 new Facebook fans and a 5% increase in sales. Maybe you want 1,000 new Twitter followers and more clicks to your blog. Set goals and track them. Hold yourself accountable.

Be more social.Many people and brands set up accounts and only shout at the world; they never hold an actual conversation. Make sure to answer people’s questions, thank them, and retweet them whenever possible. According to Twitter, people who retweet 20% more than the average person are more likely to have 150% more followers.

Use photos.Social media is about emotion and pictures “are worth a thousand words.” According to Twitter, tweets with a photo receive on average 1.5 times more retweets and 2 times more favorites.

Learn about Facebook’s algorithm.Facebook is complicated. There’s no other way to say it. Whether you’ve got a personal or profile page, Facebook uses a complicated algorithm to determine how many people see your posts. (And it’s never all of your friends or fans.) The best way to get the most people to see your posts is to get people to like, share, or comment on your posts.

Ask questions.One of the best ways to get interaction on social media is to ask questions. Make sure to ask questions using words like “should,” “would,” “which,” and “who.” Questions with yes or no answers tend to get less engagement.

Be personal.The accounts that do the most poorly on social media are those that seem like robots. You can’t just use your accounts to try to sell something or promote yourself. Imagine social media like a party. Don’t be the person at the party no one wants to talk to. Instead, be personal, engaging, funny, and real.

You don’t have to do everything.You may feel pressure to be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Vine, Snapchat… and the list goes on. But don’t worry: You don’t have to. Unless you’re a major corporation, like Starbucks, it’s best to just do the social media that you can handle and that works best for your goals. It’s better to do two things well than six things poorly.

To get more information or schedule a consultation please contact Jenny Kuglin.