A Review of Best Practices –
By: Phillip Archer
The one thing that you need to remember about using social media is that it is constantly changing – like air fare! If you are going to be successful at putting social media to use to grow your following and your business, you are going to have to devote some time to “sharpening your saw” on a regular basis. To be honest, you should be devoting time to this daily – I devote an hour a day to research and reading on subjects that impact my profession. My goal in this issue is to provide you with some broad topics to consider staying current on as you engage your followers.
Be Consistent
If you really want to see your numbers grow – be consistent. Post 1-2 times a day and make sure you are posting high quality content. It is suggested that you will grow your audience four times faster by posting 1-2 times a day as opposed to once a week. Ask questions when possible and use beautiful images. Remember that your followers will absorb 90% of what you say in a video.
- Photos
- Videos
- Illustrations
- Stop-motion
- Live streams
- Polls
Focus on Quality, Not Quantity
It is important to clarify that Quality does not mean you need expensive production values – make that video on your phone! Quality is measured by engagement. You should strategize about the message you want to convey and how you can engage your followers in that subject matter. Whether you ask a question or post a poll – be thoughtful, be strategic, and focus on the quality of the information. When you are considering the ROI (Return on Investment) of posts, keep in mind that they break down like this: Funny = 27% ROI, Interactive = 17% ROI, Values Oriented = 15% ROI, Relatable = 11%, and Educational / Informational = 10% ROI.
Find Trends
This is another piece of advice that relates to both content and platforms. Many small businesses are exploring live audio chat rooms and short-form videos for the first time – two of the biggest trends of the last two years.
Yes, trying out a new platform demands a lot more than trying out a new format or type of content. This is all to say that you don’t have to jump on every trend when it first appears, that’s not the recommendation here. Instead, you want to monitor them and their evolution. Because while some trends die off, others turn into staples.
As you have seen in my past posts, my husband works for META. When reels came out, I was not particularly enthused to learn yet another new “option” for posting content. Within a few months, I found myself woefully behind a MAJOR trend. Of all people, I should have been at the forefront of this new “opportunity”, but I viewed it as a chore. I am paying for that now. Don’t let yourself get complacent. Find a social media accountability partner.
I hope this recap has been both beneficial and a smaller “bite” than many of our recent articles. I will be looking for you out there. Do your best, take a step every day, and make the most of what you have.