Social media is a great tool for connecting with customers and marketing your business.

Here are ten tips for using social media effectively – even through the challenges of Covid lockdowns!

1.  Post regularly and consistently

This helps to show that you are there to connect with and serve your customers, even in tough times. So, continue with scheduled posts if that’s your thing, and also consider posting some stories or highlights when the inspiration takes you, for a bit of spontaneity!

2.  Use a variety of platforms

Not everyone uses the same platforms, so it’s important to find out where your target audiences hang out and post there. You may also need to consider tone here. You might use a slightly more ‘businesslike’ tone on LinkedIn than on Twitter for example.

3.  Post fresh content

Your content should be fresh and original and not full of ‘fluff’ to reach a word count. You might also want to consider posting ‘snackable’ content – bitesize or visual pieces of content that are easy to digest. Here are some snackable content ideas from HubSpot.

4.  Align your social pages with your brand

This includes in terms of colours and fonts which helps create a consistent and professional look across all your marketing channels. But it’s not only about looks – keeping your tone in line with your brand is also important.

5.  Offer incentives

Because after all, everyone loves a freebie!

Ideas might include offering a free hour of services or a gift in exchange for completing a survey or poll or providing an email address.

6.  Add a face to the name

People want to know they’re engaging with a human not a robot, so think about how you can best accommodate this. For example, you could post videos of yourself to allow people to ‘meet’ you. You could also share testimonials and your milestones or achievements (although don’t overdo this as your focus should be more on your audience than yourself).

7.  Support others

This creates a community feel and can help expose your business. It might involve giving friendly shout-outs to clients, or else supporting or promoting other small businesses.

8.  Create engagement

You can encourage engagement by liking/sharing other people’s posts, and by taking the time to listen to what they are saying. Show them you’re listening by responding.

9.  Tell a story

Most people listen and remember more when told a story rather than a set of dull facts. So consider how you could take your readers on an interesting journey, using a conversational tone in the process.

10.  Lastly – be happy!

Many people are hearing a lot about the pandemic and other world events lately, which means happy and encouraging posts are often very welcome. And if your audience responds to fluffy kittens and cute puppies, you could even go with that occasionally (depending on your business, of course!).

Let us help you

If you need some help with keeping on top of your posts, our social media management services include content creation, scheduling and interaction. Feel free to get in touch to tell us what you need!