Social media can be one of the most cost-effective ways for brands to get in front of their customers…if done right. A massive 4.48 billion people currently use social media worldwide and this number is only continuing to increase. Having a strong presence across the various social channels can enable you to reach audiences that might not be accessible through other, more traditional, communication channels. However, just as most people are on socials these days, so too are most brands. Social media is saturated with posts from organisations from across all sectors, so it is crucial that you make efforts to stand out.
While the type of content you post will differ depending on your brand and who you are trying to target, the following five tips can be applied by all to ensure that your social media posts are reaching their maximum potential:
Know your audience
Before uploading, you must think carefully about who it is you’re trying to target. Different demographics use social media in different ways, so a one -size-fits-all approach will not work. What works for Gen Z, for example, will not work for the older generation; what works for construction workers will not work for someone working in an office 9-5. It is important to consider the preferences of your target audience and what is most likely to resonate with them.
To do this, take a look at your competitors and learn from what is popular on their channels, as well as other content your audience is engaging with on other platforms.
You can also simply ask your audience what they would like to see. Surveys or focus groups are a great way to speak directly to your target audience and understand how they use social media and the type of content they enjoy.
Choose the right channels
Once you understand your audience’s social media habits, you can then align your efforts to ensure maximum impact. There are so many options – Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok to name just a few, and it can be exhausting to create quality, tailored content for each of them.
Use your learnings to carefully select where your audience is most likely to engage with your content and consider which platforms are optimised for the types of content you plan to produce. If you plan on creating short video content for a Gen Z audience, being on Tiktok would make perfect sense, but if you’re more likely to be posting written content for a more corporate audience then it’s unlikely you’d receive desired levels of engagement – LinkedIn would be much more suitable.
Creating strategic social media content and sharing this across one or two platforms that your audience will engage with will perform much better than taking a scattergun approach across them all.
Use high quality visuals
When scrolling through social media, for many, it is good imagery that will catch their attention first and compel them to read on. Therefore, the imagery and visuals that you opt for will play a large role in setting you apart from your competitors. This is particularly important for social channels that are image-led, such as Instagram and Facebook.
This can be as simple as using high-quality imagery and graphics that are correctly sized. If images are blurry, cut off or too small to see then your audience will quickly make their mind up and won’t be interested.
Using your own product and brand photography is also a great way of making your account stand out and generate brand continuity.
Create engaging copy
While people might come for the images, they will stay for your copy. Think of this as an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors by using your brand voice. Having a consistent tone across your socials will ensure that when your audience sees your posts, they’ll instantly recognise that they are YOUR posts.
Including a call to action, even something as simple as a question, will also encourage your followers to engage with your posts and spark conversation!
As an extra top tip – be mindful that writing style and character limits will vary for each platform. For example, X is designed for short-form written content and has a character limit of 280 characters for accounts that are not subscribed to their paid service, whereas Facebook and LinkedIn posts are without limits, so get to know what works for each of your chosen channels.
Be Consistent
So, you’ve completed all the steps until this point and uploaded your first post, now what? Stop there? I’m afraid not, social media requires sustained efforts to build and maintain a relationship with your audience. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day and the same can be said for your social media presence.
It can be easy for posting on social media to fall to the bottom of the list during busy periods, so to ensure that you are posting regularly set yourself a minimum number of posts a week and stick to it, but be strategic about it Don’t set arbitrary targets for the sake of it. Creating content in advance and creating a posting schedule that helps you deliver on your wider business objectives will also save time in the long run and eliminate the need to think of something to post on the spot.
To learn more about how to stand out from the crowd on social media, get in touch.