Whether your business is new or have been around for a while, social media is an important tool you can use to grow your business. But many times we give it a try but we see very little results, and we end up giving up or putting it aside for more important things like fulfilling orders, building partnerships, and other tasks a growing business needs to get done.
But social media is a great way to expand your business especially these days when everyone is on various social media platforms. Here in the Philippines, the number of internet users increased by 4.2 million between 2020 and 2021, and the number of social media users in the Philippines increased by 16 million (source). More people are going on social media since the pandemic began, and your business needs to take this opportunity to get online as well.
Source: Datareportal
Thankfully, getting on social media platforms for your business is oftentimes free. You can easily create a Page for your business, or an instagram account, and start connecting to your customers right away.
But often you'll need to do a little more work than just simply setting up your company's account. So how can you maximize your business's social media accounts?
1. Create a Plan and Stick to It
It might be tempting to just start posting once you create your company's social media accounts. But it will be much more effective at bringing you what you need if you take a moment to plan what you want to post.
First of all, set a goal for what you want your social media page to do for your business. It can be generating leads, selling products, engaging with customers--all this depends on you and your business. But make sure that you make SMART goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achieveable
- Realistic
- Timely
You should also study your competition and see how they address their market. Get ideas on how they do their social media posts. From here, you can see if the same approach will work for you, or what you can do better to reach your target market better.
2. Use a Content Calendar
Content calendars can be very valuable tools for your social media strategy. A calendar can help you organize your posts and help you see if you have any gaps in your approach that you can fix.
Posting too many product highlights? Mix it up a little with other features.
Working on your content in advance with the help of a calendar can also free up much-needed time in the future.
3. Track Important Metrics
Facebook Likes and Hearts aren't the only important metrics when it comes to social media. Don't fall into a false sense of security just because you've got a large following. A large following that doesn't purchase from your business or engage with your posts aren't going to help you in the long run.
Look into other metrics that you need for your business, such as:
- how many times your post has been shown to people
- how many people have clicked your post to go to your website
- how many people have purchased something because of your post
- how many have commented or shared your post to their friends
and so on. Make sure you track the right numbers so you know if your strategy is working.
4. Don't Post It and Leave It
Don't forget that once you post something on your social media accounts, you should still monitor the posts and make sure any conversation is going your way. Don't post and then ignore the comments. This is the perfect time to engage with your customers!
Even if it's only "hm", you should take the time to answer these. If interested people see your post but notice that you aren't answering people, they may decide that your business isn't one that will answer them, too. The same goes for any messages you get through your social media pages.
If it's getting too overwhelming, look into automated replies and chatbots like Chatbuddy to help you manage your responses. A responsive business is one that people will be more happy to buy from. Chatbots can help with routine questions like "hm" and questions about bestsellers, leaving you and your staff with more time to answer more complex questions and issues.
5. Don't be Afraid to Mix it Up
Social media and your audience can easily change one week to the next. While it's important to make sure that your posts reflect your brand and don't cause controversy, you should always check if your strategy is still working on a regular basis.
If it's not, don't be afraid to experiment and see if a different approach will suit your potential audience better. You should always go back and test your approach to make sure that your strategies match your audience.
Conclusion
Successfully using your company's social media accounts can't be a haphazard activity. You should plan and carefully assess your posts if it will achieve the goals you set for your social media strategies.
Make sure you always keep tabs on what's happening on your social media accounts and the industry you are in. This way, you can instantly change and adapt your strategy if something goes wrong and you can take advantage of opportunities earlier.
A well-implemented social media plan can help your business grow even faster than you might think, so it's time to get those strategies running.