Make your business a social business with these 5 social media marketing tips

1. Don't go 'platform crazy'

With social media, you want to think quality over quantity. The more social media platforms you have for your business, the more time you will have to spend on each. Only choose the most relevant social media platforms for your specific audience. Where are your buyers? Where can you best connect with them? Once you answer those questions, you are better able to gauge which platform is best to reach your target audiences. 

2. Include visuals when and where you can

Did you know that 40% of people respond better to visual content than plain text? (Source: Zabisco) With so much content floating around the Internet, it helps to change up the type of media you use. A variation of the following will ensure your followers will stay engaged and interested:

• Text
• Video
• Image
• Infographics

There are plenty of tools out there to help you create your custom graphics! Custom graphics go a long way, and will really help in the branding of your product/service.

3. Listen and engage

Social media marketing is a delicate dance of give and take. Etiquette is necessary if you want to establish yourself as a credible and respectable brand on your social channels. You must learn how to make connections and cultivate relationships. We recommend this two-step process to social media marketing:

• Listen: In a conversation, do you listen to the other person before you respond? Hopefully the answer is yes. Social media is an ongoing conversation, which demands that you listen to the conversations going on before you participate. First, you must find the most relevant people and conversations. Then, follow them and monitor the conversations. How can you contribute? What valuable information can you give these people so they will want to follow and engage with you?
• Engage: Only after you’ve listened to the conversations, can you introduce yourself and connect with your relevant audiences. Engagement includes liking/favoriting/+1ing, commenting, and sharing content. Make a point to engage with influencers and media because this is a great way to build personal relationships with them before asking for any self-promotional favors.  Engaging is about creating and sharing content that will influence your target audience to follow you. 

4. Don't be egocentric

Once you connect and begin to engage with your followers, make sure to mix up your content. Nobody likes people who constantly talk about how great they are. Social channels are not exclusively for self-promotion. In fact, you should only promote your brand once you’ve established yourself as a thought leader and as a brand to follow. Share content from other publications and blogs that your readers will find interesting and relevant. 

5. Endurance

Social media success does not happen overnight. You will not receive instant gratification for your efforts. Instead, social media is about building your brand to be an influencer in its industry. It is about connecting with your followers on a personal level. It is about creating valuable, insightful content that your readers want to engage with. Social media requires endurance. You must be consistently present and engaging for people to notice you. Don’t give up if you don’t see immediate ROI, because the real ROI comes much later.