My blog focuses on Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Social media impacts everything today and the business world is no different. The key is using it correctly. The following contributed post is entitled, So, You Want Your Business To Make A Splash On Social Media: Here’s What To Consider.
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Social media is an ocean. It’s the largest on earth, if you really think about it. So when a new account comes into the ecosystem and wants to make a splash, very few people are going to see it. It’s like dropping a pin; only those closest will hear it, and with all this online space, very few people will be nearby.
So what can you do to make a bigger and louder splash? How can you draw attention in a way that catches the eye of those just looking to scroll past? It’s difficult – incredibly difficult – but it can be done.
A bit of viral marketing can go a long way to setting a standard for your business and its brand recognition.
But you need to be careful about how you approach a method like this. You don’t want your splash to have unintended consequences, and you also don’t want to waste the limited time and money you have within your marketing budget.
And with all that in mind, here’s a little guide to keeping your focus on the right things when trying to create some noise with your social media presence.
Don’t Just Hop on Trends, Think About if They Really Fit
It’s easy for any and all brands to hop on the social media trends that come and go. It can even be fun to do so, and provides a bit of a shake up to your usual marketing routine.
That doesn’t mean the trend is right for you, though.
Hopping on trends that don’t align with your brand name, messaging, or image won’t really translate into anything meaningful for you. It can even be just a waste of your resources.
For any trend you like the look or sound of, think about the ways you could relate it back to your product. Is there a workable angle, that doesn’t require a lot of squeezing to make fit?
If not, you might want to focus on creating other content. And don’t worry, the FOMO really won’t last for long. There’ll be another trend along in 5 minutes!
Be as Interactive in the Comments as Possible
When brands get chatty, people pay attention to it. Be interactive in the comments section, both your own AND other accounts’.
This way you can start to draw some attention your way, with some real words and messages, and even a few expert tips or funny jokes that help to make someone’s day a bit better.
Of course, you won’t have the same kind of splash power as companies like Microsoft – who often comment on comedy videos centering around tech or the workplace.
But the more you interact within your niche, the more recognizable you can become.
Want to Collab with an Influencer? Choose Carefully
Collaborating with influencers is a good way to combine your target audience idea with an audience niche that fits in the same bracket.
That means you can sponsor someone with influence in the sphere to talk about, review, or recommend your product – just make sure you’re aware of advertising rules on social media before doing so.
That being said, you need to pick and choose the influencers you sponsor very carefully. You need to know they actually have a real stake in the niche, as well as an audience that will be receptive to your product or service.
So there’s a few things you need to do here during your research:
1. Identify the influencer’s audience demographic
This is the first step in making sure you’ve got the right person with the right reach.
There’s no point sponsoring someone who has a primarily 18 to 25 year old audience base if you’re selling vitamins for those aged 50 and up!
2. Make sure their audience is real
Many influencers out there (whether a well known personality or those on a micro scale) have paid for followers before now.
Similarly, there are many social media personalities out there who have worked with marketing companies who have ‘botted’ their following numbers, in an attempt to chase vanity metrics.
Either way, you need to verify influencer followers before you reach out with an offer. This way you can be more sure that you’re working with someone who has a properly engaged audience.
3. Check their audience engagement
Speaking of, a large and real follow count won’t automatically equate into more signs-ups or sales for your company. You need to know the influencer is actually capable of engaging the audience.
You can do this by checking the comments on their posts. Are there any to begin with? How many comments are there? And how often does the influencer actually respond?
Check both these quantity and quality metrics. Because even if you see a lower number of engagement points, you might find that the influencer has a lot of loyal fans checking in time and time again.
You’ll Still Need a Goal
Viral marketing is the kind of thing that can lead to big impacts and a lot of new customers. It can also lead to a total nothingburger, in which you gain the attention of the moment but nothing of any substance.
Remember your initial marketing goal here. What do you want to achieve with this campaign? Don’t let this splash of success be a one-time thing. How can you keep the momentum rolling after the hype has worn down?
The only way to do this is to know what you’re building towards.
Making a Splash on Social Media: What to Keep in Mind for Your Marketing
Marketing your business on social media is often about trying to make as much noise as possible. But in the long run, you need to know how these splashes are going to create value for your brand.
Make sure you have a goal to reach. Make sure you’re ‘collabing’ with influencers who’ve got real influence. Be interactive and get your name out there. And most of all, let the trends come and go.
