Recently, a client asked if social media campaigns are still worth it. Just a few years ago, most posts did get far more exposure than they do today. That was before thousands of posts were going up every minute on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. With this in mind, it’s hard to imagine that just one – yours – will make any headway.
But here’s what you must remember. If a visitor is considering purchasing a product or service you offer, not only will they check your company website, they will also check out your social media landscape. If it’s available, rich, engaging, and dynamic, that helps move the visitor further through your sales funnel.
However, since we have so much competition, what steps can we take to make your social media posts stand out a bit more and get noticed? Here are some I suggest:
Focus on your target market.
There’s an old expression, “there’s riches in niches.” Whether a B2B or B2C organization, you should devote most of your time and energy catering to your specific industry niche and the social media that caters to it.
Select your social media platform wisely.
LinkedIn is for business. Twitter is not far behind. But most of the other social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and others are mainly for consumers. Does this mean a B2B organization should not be on Facebook? No, but once again, it does suggest that they put most of their social media time and effort where it matters most, in this case, LinkedIn.
Create relevant content.
First, we must clarify. Content comes in different forms. Yes, there are word formats such as blogs, but there are also videos, graphics, podcasts, and slides. Whichever format, if it is high-quality content, professionally presented, and easily accessible, it can help turn words into sales.
Forget social media calendars.
Content calendars, also known as social media calendars, often turn into busywork, and they take you away from the most crucial task: posting quality content on your social media platforms. While a content calendar is not necessary, what can prove helpful is what I call a “routine.” Examples of a routine I use is to post a motivational quote from an influencer every Friday morning. One of our clients has us prepare and publish a “Tuesday Special” on their social media platforms. This is a product discounted for the day. People tend to remember routines like these and look for them.
Apply search engine optimization strategies.
I’m going to recommend an APP for this. It’s called Rank Math. Why I like it so much is that once a post is placed on a website, it ranks it with a number as to its search engine optimization. A number under 70 is weak. The closer the number is to 100, the more likely the post will get picked up in search engines. This allows you to tinker with the post to improve SEO. Further the APP makes suggestions as well. Working together – you and the APP – the post can be improved, getting a score of 80 or more, which helps ensure it will be picked up by Google.
Explore all the Google Options.
Google, as well as Bing, now offers several add-ons that can help bolster your company’s presence online. For instance, Google Maps is crucial if your target market is your local community. If your store, for example, is easily found on Google Maps, but your competitors is not, that gives you considerably more visibility. Another option that is becoming very powerful is Google My Business. With this option, your business, phone number, tag line, website button, and related “about” information are posted on the right side of the screen when someone does a search for your company. Basic stuff. But here’s what’s neat. Google is now collecting your social media postings and articles and publishing them there as well. This gives visitors one more way to find out about you and your company.
And one more thing: YouTube
I know not all companies can use YouTube. But if you can, publish your videos on YouTube as well as your website. We did this for a client, and in less than one week, a search for this company included links to their YouTube videos. Maybe one reason for this: Google owns YouTube.
AlturaSolutions turns words into sales | 312-880-8176
