Social Media Hacks to Get Your Business Noticed
Americans spend, on average, 4.7 hours a day on their smart phone. It's easy to get lost in a sea of likes and follows. Here are my Top 10 Tips for getting the most out of your tweets, instas and posts:
There is a hierarchy in social media posts. Any time you can add an image or a video, you will increase the eyeballs on your message.
Nobody likes to be talked at. Social media is a two-way street and is intended to help you engage with others. Interactions have a give and take on social media, just as conversations do face-to-face.
Add value. Be sure you are giving your followers original content that is meaningful or useful to them, along with sharing other information relevant to your audience. What do you have that your audience needs? Can you give them a WIIFM? (That's "what's in it for me" to you marketing novices.) Could be information about upcoming construction. Could be the secret to losing the last 5 pounds. Might be how to get your kids to clean up their rooms without nagging (seriously if you have this one, PM me!) Whatever it is, lead with that.
Live for the brand. Everything you post should be aimed at building and solidifying your brand. If it doesn't ring true to you, don't post it.
Emojis get attention. No denying it, emojis, those little confusing symbols of emotions, activities, and things strung together to perplex everyone over the age of 25 are a great way to attract attention in a sea of words. Use them carefully though, and be sure you know what they mean before you do. Because #tryingtoohard is not pretty.
Consistency is key. Out of sight out of mind has never been more true. Regular posts are an important way to keep your credibility with overloaded audiences.
Reach people where they are. Use different platforms and tailor your message to each. Think of it as the difference between talking to your mom and talking to your child. You may give them the same information, but the way you share that information will be appropriate to the person receiving it.
Have a plan. The right mix of posts and platforms can be overwhelming, so it helps to map things out with a calendar of posts. There's lots of apps that can help you keep track of your social media posts and mine the data from all the interactions (two of my favorites: HootSuite and Sprout Social). But if you're just getting started, good old fashioned white boards or desktop planners can help you get focused as well.
Humor and pop culture references are the "golden ticket" to getting people's attention. For example, Connected Consulting helped our client break through the "white noise" to get the public's attention about a freeway closure of epic proportions, as you can see from the memes below.
Be authentic. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to drop the mask. It's heavy, it's probably on crooked, and we all see through it anyway. Social media is after all, about connections.
