Over the years, social media has evolved into a powerful outreach tool. Nowadays, it represents a standalone service channel that constitutes the mainstay of many digital marketing strategies. For those who are serious about using social media for business, a random post here and there does not really cut it. You need to invest time, money, and creative thought into a social media strategy. Rest assured that all these efforts will be well worth it in the long run: you can elevate your whole online presence and convert followers into paying customers if you use social media strategically!

8 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Presence

1 | Create a social media game plan

It all starts with a strong sense of commitment. Make social media a priority for your organization and come up with a solid strategy. Dedicate resources toward building your social accounts. If you have the resources, set up an internal team for managing these accounts and handling related social media tasks. Research what your competition is doing and see what you can learn from both their mistakes and their successful social media campaigns. Follow leaders and influencers in the industry and check out how they are leveraging social media to spark ideas and get inspiration.

2 | Employ social media automation tools

If not handled strategically, social media can severely strain resources, including your precious time. To streamline a set of activities, identify handy social media tools like SmarterQueue. This type of tool can automate tedious social media management tasks and make your business life much easier! You can, for instance, schedule posts and structure a content calendar and even set up evergreen content that will post in a loop, giving you a never-ending social media content queue. In other words, determine what type of content you will post in advance and on which channel. Make sure to use appropriate content (e.g. longer-than-wide images on Twitter and Facebook, but hashtags only on Twitter, not Facebook). Additionally, try to handle work in batches of similar tasks, such as scheduling, copywriting, image crafting, research, etc.

3| Focus your efforts on social media

There are so many social networks today and being active on all of them is not an option for many small businesses. And that is totally fine. For starters, it is actually wise to focus on a limited number of major networks and avoid spreading yourself too thin. Take your pick according to your set goals and your target audience. Be wherever potential customers are and achieve maximum ROI. Narrow it down and carve out your niche. Close your account on a network that does not bring real value to your business.

4 | Measure and monitor your social media accounts

To rise above the noise, you need to set tangible and measurable goals. Likewise, take your time establishing metrics for measuring and evaluating your impact. You might want to focus on brand awareness, customer retention, lead generation, improved sales, social signals and other key performance indicators (or KPI). Note that you can also rely on data intelligence companies to carry out professional social media monitoring. That way, you would be able to better support your decision-making and gain deeper insight into how to best use your social media outreach efforts.

5 | Make the most of your visuals

Visual media is constantly gaining traction across the social media ecosystem. Articles with images tend to generate 94% more views. Given that data, you may want to use versatile photo editing tools like RelayThat to produce a stream of attention-grabbing imagery. Also, try creating infographics that present data in a clean and visually appealing way. Users absolutely love them. Finally, you may also want to start video production and delight your audience with fun and educational content with viral potential.

6 | Brand voice on social media

Small businesses should use social media profiles as open-ended platforms for communication. There is so much you can do in terms of interacting with your audience: discuss your services, share stories, talk about your brand, promote events, announce offers, etc. Through it all, you need to speak with a distinctive, coherent voice. Figure out the right tone for YOUR business – and stick to it! This is what enables your audience to have a great experience and perceive your brand in a positive light.

7 | Look beyond promotion

You should refrain from being overly promotional and essentially attacking people with aggressive sales pitches and ads. Social media revolves around the process of building meaningful relationships with customers. You need to learn to listen and soak in what they are telling you. Understand their wants, habits, and needs. Keep an eye on online reviews. Your chief goal is to add value to the everyday life of consumers. Try to inspire trust and loyalty and you will reap opulent rewards in the long-term.

8 | Offer added value for your social media followers

Be prepared to go the extra mile. Provide additional value to your followers in the form of free advice, webinars, consultations, guides, tutorials, and other pieces of digital content. You can launch loyalty programs, contests, and promotions, giving discounts, early access, and special offers to returning customers. At the very least, be responsive and establish a group, forum, or community where you answer questions and solve problems. Always find a way to exceed people’s expectations.

To reach new heights in the burgeoning social landscape, form a well-thought-out strategy. Set the right tone and direct your efforts into achieving goals.  Engage your fans and followers in conversations and treat them to great content. Utilize software solutions to automate various tasks. Make an impact with images, videos, and infographics. Be consistent and deliver on your promises. Keep learning and fine-tuning your tactics. This smart approach will empower you to cut through the immense marketing noise out there— it’s time to kick your social game into overdrive.

What will you do THIS WEEK to improve your social media presence? Let us know in the comments or share your own social media tips!

About the Author:
David Webb is a Sydney based business consultant and online marketing analyst.  With six years of experience and a degree in online business strategy, he is driven to help the people better understand this new digital age. In free time, David enjoys writing, traveling and the occasional night out with his friends

You can find him online at:
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