By Sarah Thompson - March 7, 2023
It’s 2023, and if we are certain about anything it’s that social media is a necessary part of marketing almost any business. Whether your organization is big or small, whether your tone is playful or staunchly professional, if you hope to be seen, you need a social media presence.
Paid social (such as boosted posts on Facebook, pre-roll videos on YouTube, or sponsored tweets) can be a very effective part of marketing your business to a tight, targeted audience, but the most successful social media accounts all have one thing in common - an engaged organic following who values and regularly interacts with their content. Many businesses and organizations have one platform that they are strongest on (such as Duolingo on TikTok, Taco Bell on Instagram, and the Netflix Suite on Facebook)
Huge accounts like these can be intimidating to watch, especially for a small business, but the tactics and principles that helped establish and win over their audiences can be scaled to any size organization. Here are 3 tips on how to grow and create a relationship with your audience, no matter your size!
1. Post What You Know
Participating in relevant trends can be great for quick engagement, but doing dance challenges on TikTok should only be a small percentage of your overall content (unless you’re a dance studio ;) ). A small local bank? Feature your staff with their favorite pastime in the community such as coaching little league, volunteering at a food pantry, or helping plan a charity fundraiser. Your customers will connect with real people who have the desire to make their community, and the people in it, better. Are you a non-profit that collects book donations for rural school libraries? Posts about cute or funny notations or odd bookmarks you have found in donated books could be right up your alley! Think about what makes your business or organization unique and post things that are relevant to what you do and whom you serve. If you’re choosing to participate in trends, it’s especially beneficial to put a spin on them that is unique to your services, staff, or community.
2. Post Consistently
We know, we know - you’ve heard this one before. Your schedule is full, coming up with content can be challenging, and you may not have a full-time marketing staff to think about posting all the time. This is a struggle that many businesses have and you are not alone. If you’re in a rut with posting consistently, we suggest starting by dedicating 3 hours a month to social media - 1 hour for planning/brainstorming ideas, 1.5 hours for creating and capturing content (taking pictures and video of your day-to-day office life, creating simple graphics in Canva, etc.), and half an hour for scheduling that content. Why schedule, you may ask? Scheduling your content ahead of time enables you to control when and how often your content is released, both of which heavily affect how often your audience sees it. You can use free scheduling tools like Hootsuite for multiple platforms! We use Agorapulse for our clients because it has phenomenal analytics. Look at a few and see what’s right for your size and needs.
3. Post to Your Audience
Have an internal brainstorming session or work with an outside consultant to conduct a survey to pinpoint your audience and understand their interests. Once you establish who your audience is, it’s time to figure out how and when they’re using social media. What platforms are they using? Do they prefer videos or long, wordy explainers? If your audience is primarily working 8 am-5 pm, scheduling posts before and after those times or during lunch will be the most effective. If your audience is in college, late in the evening might be the best time to catch them. Another thing to consider is what tone of voice resonates with your audience. Is it youthful and relaxed? Is it professional and informational? Being consistent with your tone of voice is a huge part of establishing trust and camaraderie with your audience. Post about your products or services from perspectives that they care about and can relate to.
That wasn’t so bad, was it?
You’ve got this! If you can start getting a handle on reliably posting what you know, posting consistently, and posting to your audience, you can begin to build a stronger relationship with them and the analytics will back you up! If you need help developing a custom-tailored social media plan, establishing who your audience is, or even entrusting the whole thing to the professionals, we can help! Learn more on our services page or email Rachel to find out how Anglin PR could be a part of your team!
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