It’s no question that in today’s business world, having active social media accounts is more than just a way to chat with users. It’s become a necessary form of spreading information with which you can develop your brand and turn your followers into paying customers. By focusing on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter, you can build your brand awareness better than ever.
Finding Your Niche
Finding your niche audience may be a bit trickier than it seems. You want to choose characteristics that apply to a large group of people without being too broad and shallow. Choosing a niche that’s too broad can cause more problems than choosing a group too small.
When an app like Animation Desk, for instance, wants to get artists to try their app, choosing a group like “artists” would be too broad. This is because although “artists” may include potential users, it also includes sculptures, painters, and musicians, all of who may be less willing to try the app. It would be smarter to address “digital artists” or “2D animators.” This approach increases the likelihood that your audience is somewhat familiar with your product or service being supplied within your own merchandise design strategy.
Tell Your Brand’s Story
Word of mouth continues to be the most trusted news source for sharing information between people. The easiest and most effective way to have others spread the message about your product/service is to have your work tell a story. You can also use a professional social media marketing company or a branding agency to help you craft your message. A strong brand message helps you explain your purpose while giving a reason for a potential customer to use your product.
This brand story should be easy enough that others can quickly understand your company’s core ideology. You shouldn’t just tell the same story in every one of your posts. It’s stronger if a collection of posts contribute to an overarching story for users to follow.
A great example of this is Lokai bracelets. Every Lokai bracelet contains one bead with water from Mt. Everest (the highest point in the world) & one bead with mud from the Dead Sea (the lowest point in the world). Founder and CEO, Steven Izen, has been quoted saying, “Life is a journey. Lokai exists to help you find the balance between the highs and lows.”
This message is easily explained and can be translated quite well. If your friend has never heard of the company Lokai before, you can easily explain the purpose of adding water and mud to every bracelet to show the values and purpose of the company. This is what has helped this company build awareness.
When & Where To Make The Most Effective Posts
Most brands have accounts on multiple platforms which requires you to adjust your content based on where it’s shared. Each medium has a different audience and algorithmic expectations for post frequency, tone, and style. You’ll be more effective and lower the acquisition cost if you learn to adjust your messaging to fit the different channels.
Include engaging pictures and videos. The visual content is the most important part. Try to drive users to your profile or the links you include in your bio. Also, a majority of users watch the stories from the top people that they follow, so be sure to include engaging content in your story every day. It’s also very important to know when to post on Instagram. In this case, good timing is key for getting more likes and followers. Don’t forget about how your profile looks with all your posts together. Build your content calendar with your Instagram grid in mind. Plus, make sure you use Instagram to the fullest by also targeting potential followers in the DMs. Several Instagram DM apps can now help you bond with your followers and turn them into brand advocates.
*Recommended: post 1 time a day
22% of adults use Twitter in the U.S., meaning this is another platform to reach your niche audience. Twitter is formatted for quick updates, making it a great platform to use for customer service and other updates about you and your product/service. It’s also a great platform to drive users to click links, which you can do by including a call to action in every tweet.
*Recommended: post 3-6 times a day
Facebook is one of the most used social media platforms in the world. Facebook makes it easy for brands and companies to target different audiences worldwide. It’s also a great place to drive users to outside links and online shops. Facebook’s 2.6 Billion user base and 74% of its users logging in daily make it almost certain that you will have the chance to connect with your potential audience. This platform also has an older user base with a large majority of users being 25-65+ years old.
*Recommended: post 2 times a day
An example of someone who has successfully strategized the usage of all social media platforms is an entrepreneur and social media icon, Gary Vee. He has laid out many blueprints for how to post on each platform, as well as great ways to make the most content out of the resources you have. You can find some ideas in this article, How to make 64 pieces of content in 1 day.
Don’t Post to Sell Products, Post to Give Value
Your job is to service your customers, not shake them down for a dollar. If you’ve chosen to provide support via calls, for example, make sure to use a calling recorder and analyze your progress over time. This same ideal should apply when you are posting on social media. Giving value to your followers on a daily basis establishes trust. Discuss problems these users may have, then provide solutions that they can implement.
You can provide value to your followers by:
- Giving them information on your product or service
- Including information on price benefits and quality of your product
- Giving information about your field (not including your product)
- Hosting giveaways or special chances for discounts
- Supporting other brands/businesses that can work indirectly with your product (not competitors)
- Actively interact with your audience
A company that executes this well is Dollar Shave Club. They’re very open about the value that they give their customers. Dollar Shave Club also does a great job informing its followers about the razor market and gives tips that most users may not already know. You can see more ways in which social media brought their company success, in this article.
The next step to building your brand on social media is execution. Now it’s time for you to go out and do it for yourself. For more information or resources to produce great content follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!