10 Tips on Getting Started with Social Media

As you prepare to come up with different strategies to help your small business thrive, don’t forget about the power of social media. Until you decide to use the services of an SEO marketing agency, there are certain ways to prepare on your own. As you get a headstart on these tips, understand that it is a huge undertaking and you’ll want an agency’s help to execute these efforts as the business continues to grow. As you begin your marketing efforts, implement these ten tips and experiment.

1. Schedule your content in advance. 
There are tons of scheduling apps and programs you can pay for. They’ll allow you to place your content into a queue, set it and forget it. Pick a day to create a bunch of content. As you create the content, schedule the exact days and times you want the new content to post on social media and the website. When you do it advance, you can spend time focusing on other projects. Schedule everything from daily tweets on Twitter to status updates on Facebook. Facebook has a built-in scheduler so you don’t have to use an outside scheduler to run the Facebook portion. Double-check your scheduler to make sure it includes apps like Instagram. HootSuite and Buffer are two of the most popular scheduling systems many professionals use. When you take care of these posts in advance, you’re less likely to struggle with procrastination with the content production.

2. Use natural light.
Natural light is universally flattering. If you’ve decided to use a platform like YouTube to create content, it’s ideal to use natural light. Whether you use the camera from a smartphone or a DSLR, natural light will always work. Just make sure that you use the right angles and film in a position that doesn’t allow the bright light to cancel out your face. Many photographers suggest filming or shooting photography in the early morning hours so that you can catch the best light. Additionally, it’s a great idea to consider the use of ring lights. If you just don’t have the time to shoot videos or take pictures during the day, a ring light is a great substitute. Most photography stores have them. If you’re daring, you might be able to make your own using a DIY tutorial.

3. Routinely use the live broadcasting feature. 
Sites like Facebook tend to favor those who use the live broadcasting feature. This is primarily because users love streaming content. Take a look at all of the celebrities that are producing their own shows using Facebook Watch and IGTV. With platforms like Netflix and Hulu, there’s no doubt that people love to stream content and it’s wise to capitalize off of that momentum. Create your own live broadcast show where you answer questions and share valuable content. In many cases, you might be sharing information that many followers already know. However, the distinguishing factor is you. Allow your personality to shine through when you create your videos. Your personality can easily become one of the major selling points when people are looking for someone to do business with that’s in your niche.

4. Produce high-quality graphics with specific filters. 
When it’s time to log on and scroll through an app like Instagram, it’s pretty obvious that you’re guaranteed to see high-quality photos. Make sure that your photos are just as beautiful and appealing. You don’t need to go out and buy an expensive DSLR camera in order to get great pictures. Don’t underestimate the power of a smartphone camera lens, the right lighting and a good photo editing app. Practice your photo-taking skills and do your best to make sure your photos look clear and consistent. To make your photo feed look cohesive on an app like Instagram, do your best to create photos with the same filters. Don’t be afraid to read a few books on photography and learn a few tricks. Your feed can be a major selling point, so make sure that your graphics look good.

5. Pick your topics and stick with them. 
If you are the owner of a hair salon, make sure that people can visit your social media platforms and be able to tell. If you’re constantly posting funny posts or political updates, your followers won’t know anything about your business. In fact, it’s best to pick your topics and stick with them in your marketing. Because this is for your business, you’ll want to make sure that your messaging is clear. A hairdresser can easily showcase their work on social media. Additionally, it’s a great idea to make word graphics with a tip of the day. A hairdresser can share tips on how to make hair grow, how to deal with alopecia and more. Whatever you do, make sure that you pick what you’re going to talk about and remain consistent with that.

6. Use hashtags and trending topics. 
Your hashtags will look different depending on the platform that you use. If you’re on Twitter, you’re not going to want to use a bunch of hashtags because you only have so many characters. If you’re creating a blog post on your website, you’ll want to use a few targeted keywords. If you’re running a small business in Orlando, Florida, you’ll want to use Orlando marketing tactics. A great way to get targeted and use Orlando marketing tactics would be to include a specific neighborhood in the Orlando area and include it in the hashtag. If you own a restaurant in Winter Park, Florida, a hashtag like #winterparkdining might be a great way to target a specific crowd of people within the metropolitan Orlando area.

7. Direct users to an email list and website. 
Always make sure that you direct people to your website and email list. An SEO marketing agency can be really instrumental in the success of targeting the right customers and building an email list. An SEO marketing agency can also help you be intentional about communicating with that email list on a consistent basis so that you can receive automatic sales when you produce new products or services. There’s a lot of value in having an email list and website because these are two entities that you’ll own. Too often, small business owners put all of their eggs in one basket. An example of this is using one platform (that you don’t own) to connect with users. If your only way to keep in contact with your customers is through Instagram, you have a major problem. Instagram could shut your page down without explanation and they do it to accounts all the time. Instead, make sure to regularly redirect your readers to your email list and allow that list to be the main platform.

8. Communicate with your followers. 
In addition to using an email list to connect with your followers, talk to them on social media. Use live streaming broadcasts to communicate. If they leave comments under your posts or on your page, don’t ignore the comments unless they’re spam message. If you have so many comments that you can’t keep up, this is a good thing. You don’t have to comment on every single post, but at least make sure to like a few of the comments and let your followers know that you actually appreciate their engagement with you.

9. Habitually connect with new people daily. 
Don’t assume that all you need to do is maintain a great-looking social media page in order for people to find you. You need to become relentless in your pursuit of new customers. This is another task that is best for an Orlando marketing agency to handle for you. Visit the pages of brands that are in your niche. In addition to following those pages, do your best to connect with their followers. As soon as another brand posts a picture on Instagram, go through the list of people who have liked that picture. Visit a few of those pages and interact with those users. You can like and comment under their posts and make sure that the comments are genuine. The more you do this step, the more visible you’ll become. Consider a simple way to tap someone on the shoulder to let them know that you’re in the room. Interact with twenty accounts in order to get a slow yet steady build with your Instagram page.

10. Keep a pulse on the conversations. 
Know what people are talking about. Stay abreast of the news. Take a look at what the trending topics are. Find ways to use that trending topic hashtag in your daily posts. If Oprah is trending for a new venture and you’re a self-development coach, consider creating a quick post that talks about Oprah’s top five inspiring quotes. Since her name is already trending, using her name will help your brand’s visibility to increase. Furthermore, head over to Twitter and put in a specific hashtag. This will allow you to see the conversations people are having around this particular topic. You’ll get to see the questions people have and you can use this research as ammunition for your next few posts.